injury
Americannoun
plural
injuries-
harm or damage that is done or sustained.
to escape without injury.
- Synonyms:
- mischief, impairment, ruin, destruction
- Antonyms:
- benefit
-
a particular form or instance of harm.
an injury to one's shoulder; an injury to one's pride.
-
wrong or injustice done or suffered.
-
Law. any wrong or violation of the rights, property, reputation, etc., of another for which legal action to recover damages may be made.
-
Obsolete. injurious speech; calumny.
noun
-
physical damage or hurt
-
a specific instance of this
a leg injury
-
harm done to a reputation
-
law a violation or infringement of another person's rights that causes him harm and is actionable at law
-
an obsolete word for insult
Related Words
Injury, hurt, wound refer to impairments or wrongs. Injury, originally denoting a wrong done or suffered, is hence used for any kind of evil, impairment, or loss, caused or sustained: physical injury; injury to one's reputation. Hurt suggests especially physical injury, often bodily injury attended with pain: a bad hurt from a fall. A wound is usually a physical hurt caused by cutting, shooting, etc., or an emotional hurt: a serious wound in the shoulder; to inflict a wound by betraying someone's trust.
Other Word Forms
- noninjury noun
- reinjury noun
- self-injury noun
Etymology
Origin of injury
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English injurie, from Latin injūria “unlawful conduct, injustice,” equivalent to in- in- 3 + jūr-, stem of jūs “right, law” ( jus, just 1 ) + -ia -ia
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This injury also may have caused his mother to abandon him.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
Even more concerning than the Lakers’ 139-96 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday was watching superstar guard Luka Doncic hobble off the court with a left hamstring injury in the third quarter.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026
He had surgery on an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture, sustained following a challenge by Micky van de Ven as he scored against Spurs in a 2-1 win on 20 December.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
If Kane suffered an injury before or during the World Cup, the drop-off in quality and international pedigree is alarming.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
To add insult to injury, the FBI claimed in public that their success was due to their own code breakers.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
