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

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Related Words

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

My arm is sore from holding my phone at arm’s length for 10 minutes during the media scrum after the show. — Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026 Virtual reality can take you anywhere, but strap on a headset for long enough and your sore neck brings you back to actual reality. — New Atlas, 7 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

Legend has it that sad fates befell those who made her angry and happy ones those who were kind to her.

— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, angry residents continue to flood once-sleepy municipal board meetings, pressuring officials to reject data center proposals.

— Marc Levy, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of angry

Noun

New symptoms of calf swelling, tenderness or redness should raise concerns for possible deep vein thrombosis.

— Ali Ataya, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
Rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disease that primarily causes joint swelling, pain and stiffness, may also worsen or develop for the first time during menopause.

— Cheyenne Buckingham, Washington Post, 24 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 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