sore

[ sawr, sohr ]

/ sɔr, soʊr /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sore ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, sor·er, sor·est.

physically painful or sensitive, as a wound, hurt, or diseased part: a sore arm.

suffering bodily pain from wounds, bruises, etc., as a person: He is sore because of all that exercise.

suffering mental pain; grieved, distressed, or sorrowful: to be sore at heart.

causing great mental pain, distress, or sorrow: a sore bereavement.

causing very great suffering, misery, hardship, etc.: sore need.

Informal. annoyed; irritated; offended; angered: He was sore because he had to wait.

causing annoyance or irritation: a sore subject.

noun

a sore spot or place on the body.

a source or cause of grief, distress, irritation, etc.

adverb

Archaic. sorely.

Nearby words

sordello, sordes, sordid, sordidly, sordino, sore, sore point, a, sore shin, sore throat, soredial, sorediate

Origin of sore

before 900; Middle English (adj., noun, and adv.); Old English sār; cognate with Dutch zeer, German sehr, Old Norse sārr

SYNONYMS FOR sore

1 tender.

3 aggrieved, hurt, pained, vexed.

4 grievous, distressing, painful, depressing.

8 infection, abscess, ulcer, wound.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sore ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formssore·ness, nounun·sore, adjectiveun·sore·ly, adverbun·sore·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sore

But for the real Mark Schultz, whom Tatum plays in the film Foxcatcher, it has become a sore point.
Wrestler Mark Schultz Hates the ‘Sickening and Insulting Lies’ of ‘Foxcatcher’|Rich Goldstein|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It's always been the same: Tim Stoddard has a sore arm and they believe him.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up|Tom Boswell|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lately, Richard Dawkins seems to scan the world for sore spots, take a good poke, and revel in the ensuing outcry.
Richard Dawkins Would Fail Philosophy 101|Elizabeth Picciuto|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After ONE practice session on a wooden horse my arm and legs were sore days later.
Breaking Polo's Grass Ceiling|Keli Goff|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“He was probably a bear with a sore head after that,” she cedes.
In Florida, Sprawling Humans Confront the Bears Who Lived There First|Jacqui Goddard|March 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The servant had evidently touched intentionally on one of the master's sore points.
The Dead Secret|Wilkie Collins
I am not weak; it is only that my heart is sore for those I love.
Three Dramas|Bjrnstjerne M. Bjrnson
Then he began to be sore perplexed, and torn with agonising doubts.
Hard Cash|Charles Reade
O God, forgive us if we are too hot, too sore at heart, for easy pleasantness!
Things as They Are|Amy Wilson-Carmichael
All our hearts were sore, as if one of the family had been lost.
The Story of My Boyhood and Youth|John Muir

British Dictionary definitions for sore

sore

/ (sɔː) /

adjective

(esp of a wound, injury, etc) painfully sensitive; tender

causing annoyancea sore point

resentful; irkedhe was sore that nobody believed him

urgent; pressingin sore need

(postpositive) grieved; distressed

causing grief or sorrow

noun

a painful or sensitive wound, injury, etc

any cause of distress or vexation

adverb

archaic direly; sorely (now only in such phrases as sore pressed, sore afraid)

Derived Formssoreness, noun

Word Origin for sore

Old English sār; related to Old Norse sārr, Old High German sēr, Gothic sair sore, Latin saevus angry

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sore (1 of 2)

sore

adj.

Old English sar "painful, grievous, aching, sad, wounding," influenced in meaning by Old Norse sarr "sore, wounded," from Proto-Germanic *saira- "suffering, sick, ill" (cf. Old Frisian sar "painful," Middle Dutch seer, Dutch zeer "sore, ache," Old High German ser "painful," Gothic sair "pain, sorrow, travail"), from PIE root *sai- (1) "suffering" (cf. Old Irish saeth "pain, sickness").

Adverbial use (e.g. sore afraid) is from Old English sare but has mostly died out (replaced by sorely), but remains the main meaning of German cognate sehr "very." Slang meaning "angry, irritated" is first recorded 1738.

Word Origin and History for sore (1 of 2)

sore

Old English sar "bodily pain or injury, wound; sickness, disease; state of pain or suffering," from root of sore (adj.). Now restricted to ulcers, boils, blisters. Cf. Old Saxon ser "pain, wound," Middle Dutch seer, Dutch zeer, Old High German ser, Old Norse sar, Gothic sair.

Medicine definitions for sore

sore

[ sôr ]

n.

An open skin lesion, wound, or ulcer.

adj.

Painful to the touch; tender.

Related formssore′ness n.

Idioms and Phrases with sore

sore

In addition to the idiom beginning with sore

sore point, a

also see:

sight for sore eyes
stick out (like a sore thumb)

sore

adjective, sor·er, sor·est.

noun

adverb

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of sore

Examples from the Web for sore

British Dictionary definitions for sore

sore

adjective

noun

adverb

Word Origin for sore

Word Origin and History for sore (1 of 2)

sore

Word Origin and History for sore (1 of 2)

sore

Medicine definitions for sore

sore

n.

adj.

Idioms and Phrases with sore

sore