SORE Synonyms: 435 Similar and Opposite Words

sore 1 of 3

adjective

ˈsȯr

Definition of sore

as in aching

causing or feeling bodily pain my legs are sore after that long walk yesterday

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in angry

feeling or showing anger promise not to get sore if I tell you what I really think of your new hairstyle?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in cynical

having or showing deep-seated resentment he's been sore ever since she insulted him

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sore

2 of 3

adverb

as in terribly

to a great degree I was sore afraid we'd never make it home

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sore

3 of 3

noun

as in swelling

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

as in wart

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of sore

Adjective

Data centers are a sore subject in Virginia, which hosts more of them than any other state, and across the US. — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 7 Oct. 2026 Acuña remained in the game but the knee was sore on Tuesday, leading to the lineup change. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

Adverb

Toward the end, people grab partners and race around the ballroom in a gallop through a tunnel of arms, an exhilarating experience—especially in heels—that leaves the heart pumping and the quads sore for days. — Valeriya Safronova, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 2026 Guys come up sore all the time. — Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 11 Feb. 2026

Noun

Rather than waiting for athletes to feel tired or sore, the staff planned recovery around what each athlete had done and needed to do next. — Adam Annaccone, The Conversation, 18 Aug. 2026 Love, despite not having much concern after the game, entered the building sore on Friday. — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sore

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sore

Adjective

The homestretch of the drama, however, takes the story in a chilling direction, packing an aching quantity of feeling into a single glance at a security camera as someone climbs into a car and leaves the compound, never to be heard from again.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2026
Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain (1997) Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain is an aching, tender slow burn shaped by absence.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026

Definition of aching

Adjective

Protests by high school students angry about dilapidated, understaffed schools have roiled France since mid-September.

— JOHN LEICESTER, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
Keeping The Faith So all’s well that ends well, and frantic, for Halfway 2 Jesus, Rock’s 13th album and the follow-up to 2022’s angry, politically charged Bad Reputation.

— Gary Graff, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of angry

Adjective

This time, Michael sounds less idealistic and much more cynical.

— Noel Murray, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
Goor and Del Tredici are gearing up to debut their next NBC sitcom, a single-camera workplace comedy starring Jake Johnson as a cynical detective working at a past-its-prime private investigator agency in Hollywood.

— Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of cynical

Adverb

Another issue is that AI detectors are still not terribly reliable, which Vara addresses in her piece, citing a number of studies to bolster the credentials of Pangram.

— James Folta, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Probably nothing too terribly bad, especially since Denver has done it without much offensive consistency.

— Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of terribly

Noun

Another biopsy confirmed it; the swelling in her neck was where the cancer had spread.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Those who have blood clots typically first develop swelling, pain or redness along the affected area and an ultrasound is used to diagnose it and search for deeper blood clots, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of swelling

Noun

Without the complication of his father’s political career and (one hopes) without political ambitions of his own, Hunter seems to be expressing something closer to his authentic self, warts and all.

— David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 8 June 2026
Some blame the faction of party leaders who rallied behind Platner in spite of his warts.

— Julia Terruso, Time, 8 June 2026

Definition of wart

Adjective

His path crosses with Naoko, a Japanese tourist carrying the weight of a painful past, and Ruby, a young child searching for his parents.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Rising financial strains on American workers are forcing them to make painful trade-offs, such as skipping medical care, to make ends meet, new research shows.

— Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of painful

Adjective

His tone was reminiscent of the indignant woman in Yamaska who’d unloaded on me while walking her dog.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026
The same people who were indignant over Hunter Biden have turned a blind eye to the conflicts of interest rife in this administration.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026