Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Causing injury, especially psychological or emotional harm: Describes something that inflicts hurt, damage, or distress, often to a person's feelings or psyche.

2. Noun:

   • The act of inflicting a wound or injury: The action or instance of causing physical or psychological harm.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • His wounding comments left her in tears. (His comments caused her emotional harm.)
  • The article contained wounding accusations against the mayor. (The article contained accusations that damaged the mayor's reputation.)

• Noun:

  • The wounding of the soldier was a tragic event. (The act of injuring the soldier was tragic.)
  • He was charged with the assault and wounding of a police officer. (He was charged with the attack and the act of injuring the officer.)

Advanced Usage

• Used figuratively: Often describes non-physical harm, such as to one's pride, reputation, or feelings.
  • The betrayal was a deep and wounding experience. (The betrayal was an experience that caused severe emotional injury.)

Variants and Related Words

• Wound (verb/noun): To inflict an injury; an injury itself.

  • Verb: The criticism wounded his pride.
  • Noun: She bandaged the wound on his arm.

• Wounded (adjective): Having sustained a wound; injured.

  • The wounded passengers were taken to the hospital.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Hurtful, damaging, injurious, cutting, stinging, offensive.
• Noun: Injuring, harming, lesion (for physical wounds).

Related Phrases

• A wounding remark: A comment that causes emotional pain.
  • She regretted her wounding remark as soon as she said it.

Adjective

1. causing physical or especially psychological injury
   • a stabbing remark
   • wounding and false charges of disloyalty

Noun

1. the act of inflicting a wound