sorer; sorest
1
a
: causing emotional pain or distress
a sore subject
b
: physically tender (as from overuse or injury) : feeling or affected by pain : achy
sore muscles
limped on a sore leg
felt sore all over
2
: attended by difficulties, hardship, or exertion
soreness
noun
1
: a localized sore spot on the body
especially
: one (such as an ulcer) with the tissues ruptured or abraded and usually with infection
2
: a source of pain or vexation : affliction
Synonyms
Adjective
Adverb
- achingly
- almighty
- archly
- awful
- awfully
- badly
- beastly
- blisteringly
- bone
- colossally
- corking
- cracking
- damn
- damned
- dang
- deadly
- desperately
- eminently
- enormously
- especially
- ever
- exceedingly
- exceeding
- extra
- extremely
- fabulously
- fantastically
- far
- fiercely
- filthy
- frightfully
- full
- greatly
- heavily
- highly
- hugely
- immensely
- incredibly
- intensely
- jolly
- majorly
- mightily
- mighty
- monstrous [chiefly dialect]
- mortally
- most
- much
- particularly
- passing
- rattling
- real
- really
- right
- roaring
- roaringly
- seriously
- severely
- so
- sorely
- spanking
- specially
- stinking
- such
- super
- supremely
- surpassingly
- terribly
- that
- thumping
- too
- unco
- uncommonly
- vastly
- very
- vitally
- way
- whacking
- wicked
- wildly
Examples of sore in a Sentence
Adjective
a dog limping on a sore leg
The patient has a sore throat.
That's a sore subject to bring up.
The discussion touched on a sore spot.
My neighbor is sore at me.
Are you still sore about what happened last night?
Noun
He has a sore on his lip.
Adverb
I was sore afraid we'd never make it home.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alyssa Brascia, People.com, 16 Oct. 2024
By day, hit the powder, then relieve sore muscles at the spa.
—Rebecca Deurlein, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2024
Trimming back your tree can also help prevent the spread of disease—cut back branches with canker sores on them about five inches below the sore.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2024
Kells McPhillips, SELF, 26 July 2024
But down both starting centers Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery) and Isaiah Hartenstein (sore left Achilles) as well as two key starters Julius Randle (dislocated right shoulder) and OG Anunoby (right elbow surgery), the Knicks came up short in a third straight game.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for sore 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Albeit flat, the insoles are lightly padded, which keeps our feet from feeling sore by the end of the day.
—Alyssa Brascia, People.com, 16 Oct. 2024
By day, hit the powder, then relieve sore muscles at the spa.
—Rebecca Deurlein, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
To prevent the sores, Garcia needed to be turned and repositioned regularly in bed, but her family alleges Arbors at Oregon’s staff did not do this.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2024
Trimming back your tree can also help prevent the spread of disease—cut back branches with canker sores on them about five inches below the sore.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2024
Adverb
Overall, the Bear Elite Hybrid is a solid pick for sleepers who wake up sore in the lower back area, thanks to the bed’s high-gauge support coils in the center of the bed that hold up the lumbar area.
—Kells McPhillips, SELF, 26 July 2024
But down both starting centers Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery) and Isaiah Hartenstein (sore left Achilles) as well as two key starters Julius Randle (dislocated right shoulder) and OG Anunoby (right elbow surgery), the Knicks came up short in a third straight game.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for sore
Dictionary Entries Near sore
Cite this Entry
“Sore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sore. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sore
1 of 3 adjective
ˈsō(ə)r 
ˈsȯ(ə)r
sorer; sorest
1
a
: causing pain or distress
a sore subject
b
: full of pain : tender
sore muscles
c
: hurt or red and swollen so as to be or seem painful
sore runny eyes
2
: accompanied by difficulties, hardship, or exertion
in a sore situation
3
: angry sense 1a
my friend is sore at me
soreness
noun
sore
2 of 3 noun1
: a sore spot on the body
especially
: one (as an ulcer) with the tissues broken and usually infected
2
: a cause of pain : affliction
sore
3 of 3 adverb
: sorely
Medical Definition
sore
1 of 2 adjective
sorer; sorest
: causing, characterized by, or affected with pain : painful
sore muscles
a sore wound
sorely
adverb
soreness
noun
sore
2 of 2 noun
: a localized sore spot on the body
especially
: one (as an ulcer) with the tissues ruptured or abraded and usually with infection
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