sore

[ sawr, sohr ]

/ sɔr, soʊr /

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See synonyms for: sore / sorest / sores / soreness 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.: 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR sore

1 tender.

3 aggrieved, hurt, pained, vexed.

4 grievous, distressing, painful, depressing.

8 inflammation, abscess, ulcer, wound.

See synonyms for sore on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sore

First recorded before 900; Middle English (adjective, noun, and adverb); Old English sār; cognate with Dutch zeer, German sehr, Old Norse sārr

OTHER WORDS FROM sore

soreness, nounun·sore, adjectiveun·sore·ly, adverbun·sore·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sore in a sentence

Of how much sorer punishment shall Christ at His speedy coming deem the scorner worthy?
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews|Thomas Charles Edwards
It was a sore conviction to her, and would have been a sorer yet had she understood his playful blame of her in the letter.
Weighed and Wanting|George MacDonald
Good Mr. Rose's feet became sorer and sorer each succeeding day; Mr. S. at length nearly gave up; my son had grown brisker.
Audubon and his Journals, Vol. 2|Maria R. Audubon
But to be parted from the woman I love was even a sorer trial.
To Win the Love He Sought|E. Phillips Oppenheim

Sir Matthew spake no worde, but strake his horse with the spurrs sorer than he dyde before.
Highways and Byways in The Border|Andrew Lang

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 forms of sore

soreness, 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

Other 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

OTHER WORDS FOR sore

Origin of sore

OTHER WORDS FROM sore

Words related to sore

How to use sore in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sore

Derived forms of sore

Word Origin for sore

Other Idioms and Phrases with sore