wounded

wounded — adjective

1. feeling emotional pain or unhappiness because of something another person said o

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

feeling emotional pain or unhappiness because of something another person said or did — for example, feeling wounded when a close friend forgets something important to you.

Example

Christopher felt deeply wounded when his sister laughed at his new haircut.

feel + deeply wounded + when-clause

Hassan tried not to sound wounded after the team rejected his proposal.

sound + wounded (linking verb pattern)

Common collocations
  • deeply wounded
  • wounded pride
  • wounded feelings
  • wounded expression
  • look wounded
  • sound wounded
Synonyms
  • hurt

    more general and less formal; covers both mild and deep emotional pain

  • offended

    focuses on feeling insulted or disrespected, not necessarily emotionally hurt

  • pained

    more literary and intense; suggests long-lasting emotional ache

Antonyms
  • unfazed

    not bothered at all by what someone said or did

Usage Note

Often used with linking verbs such as feel, look, or sound. Also appears in fixed collocations including wounded pride, wounded feelings. The cause is typically introduced by by or overseen by context.

Common Mistakes

I am wounded that you arrived late.' (too strong for minor events)
I was hurt that you did not invite me.
'wounded' implies deep emotional pain, often from someone close; 'hurt' is milder and more common for everyday situations.

2. having a physical injury that goes through the skin, especially one caused by a

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

having a physical injury that goes through the skin, especially one caused by a weapon, a sharp object, or an accident.

Example

The wounded soldier was carried off the battlefield by two comrades.

wounded soldier / military context

Apinya cleaned the wounded dog's paw and bandaged it with care.

wounded + animal + body part

Common collocations
  • wounded soldier
  • wounded animal
  • wounded arm
  • wounded leg
  • badly wounded
  • seriously wounded
  • the wounded
Synonyms
  • injured

    broader term covering any physical harm including internal damage

  • hurt

    less formal and can refer to emotional or minor physical pain

  • cut

    more specific — a wound made by a sharp edge

Antonyms

Usage Note

More specific than injured — wounded typically describes injuries involving a tear or cut in the skin, especially from weapons, tools, or sharp objects. Common in military, disaster, hunting, and animal-rescue settings. Injured is broader and can describe internal damage as well.

Common Mistakes

He was wounded in the car crash.' (car crashes more commonly cause blunt or internal injuries)
He was injured in the car crash but not wounded.
'wounded' implies a break in the skin, typically from a weapon or sharp object.

wounded — noun

Word family

  • wound
    nounB1
  • wound
    verbB1
  • wounding
    adjectiveB2
  • unwounded
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

Injured is the broadest term — it covers any kind of damage to the body, internal or external, and appears in both formal and everyday contexts. Hurt is more informal and can mean either physical or emotional pain; you can say 'my arm hurts' but 'my arm is injured' sounds more clinical. Wounded is more specific: it usually describes a tear or break in the skin, especially from a weapon, sharp object, or battle injury — a soldier is wounded, not merely hurt. Cut is the most narrow of the four, describing a wound made by a sharp edge such as a knife, glass, or paper. For example, a car accident victim is injured; a soldier hit by shrapnel is wounded; someone who slices their finger on broken glass is cut.

injured ↗hurt ↗wounded ↗cut ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • badly wounded
  • seriously wounded
  • critically wounded

Phrases

  • the wounded
  • wounded in action
  • shelter for the wounded

Prepositions

  • wounded by
  • wounded in

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Wounded comes from the past participle of the verb 'wound', which traces back through Middle English 'wounde' to Old English 'wundian' (to injure), and further to Proto-Germanic '*wundō'. The emotional sense, where a person feels wounded by unkind words or betrayal, developed in English by the 16th century as a metaphor from physical injury.