hurtfully

adverb

as in cruelly

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurtfully
  1. cruelly
  2. harshly
  3. sharply
  4. severely
  5. ill
  6. acutely
  7. poignantly
  8. piercingly
Adverb
  • Rubio did not finish the stage — his Tour cruelly over, just two days before Paris.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • The practice was criticized by advocates and others as cruelly targeting rule followers as low-hanging fruit to meet quotas.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 20 July 2026
Definition of cruelly
Adverb
  • Yust also alleges prosecutorial misconduct, arguing that a prosecutor improperly urged jurors to sentence him more harshly because of the emotional impact of the trial on them.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
  • She was especially hurt that some of the people who criticized Cox most harshly, dismissing him as craven and disingenuous, were those who had the closest relationships with him.
    — McKay Coppins, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of harshly
Adverb
  • Hostilities at sea have ‌escalated sharply with attacks by both sides on ports and commercial shipping, pushing ‌up global grain prices.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026
  • New York City on Wednesday announced that AI tools will be banned in public grade and middle schools and sharply limited for high school students.
    — Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of sharply
Adverb
  • Ford Motor is increasing production of its crucial F-Series trucks after fires at an aluminum supplier severely impacted output over the past year.
    — Michael Wayland, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The water supply system for the park was also severely damaged, along with part of a new $208 million water pipeline project that was underway near the ranch.
    — Shayna Jacobs, NBC news, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of severely
Adverb
  • And so in facing the same electoral choices as last time, Nigerians are limited to the same set of ideas ill-suited against worsening problems.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • An ill-fitting board role, despite its potential, may not be worthwhile given the substantial investment required.
    — Caroline Ceniza-Levine, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of ill
Adverb
  • Since 2022, acutely conscious of the issue at hand, Unipublic, the company that organizes the Vuelta, has planted 2,000 native trees around the country.
    — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Debbie Willson is acutely aware of how a death can fall through the cracks.
    — Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of acutely
Adverb
  • Most poignantly, he was struck by how far the late, great Buck O’Neil’s museum has come since its inception in a one-room office in 1990.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
  • At once a coming-of-age drama and a portrait of a dying Texas town in the 1950s, The Last Picture Show, based on Pulitzer Prize winner Larry McMurtry’s novel, poignantly depicts the bleak descent of youth into jaded adulthood.
    — Air Mail, Air Mail, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of poignantly
Adverb
  • Chef Steven Pham is still simmering his signature Northern Vietnamese-style pho ga, which features a soul-piercingly clear broth, tender poached chicken, rice noodles, and a floating raft of fresh herbs.
    — Becky Duffett, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 June 2026
  • The Towode Door Stop Alarm is a budget-friendly, highly effective safety tool that functions as a wedge door stop and a piercingly loud alarm when activated.
    — Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2026
Definition of piercingly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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hurtful
hurtfully
hurting
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Cite this Entry

“Hurtfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurtfully. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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