injury

noun

in·​ju·​ry ˈin-j(ə-)rē How to pronounce injury (audio)
plural injuries
Synonyms of injurynext
1
: hurt, damage, or loss sustained
2
a
: an act that damages or hurts : wrong
b
: violation of another's rights for which the law allows an action to recover damages

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for injury

injustice, injury, wrong, grievance mean an act that inflicts undeserved hurt.

injustice applies to any act that involves unfairness to another or violation of one's rights.

the injustices suffered by the lower classes

injury applies in law specifically to an injustice for which one may sue to recover compensation.

libel constitutes a legal injury

wrong applies also in law to any act punishable according to the criminal code; it may apply more generally to any flagrant injustice.

determined to right society's wrongs

grievance applies to a circumstance or condition that constitutes an injustice to the sufferer and gives just ground for complaint.

a list of employee grievances

Examples of injury in a Sentence

Hikers need to take sensible precautions to prevent injury. She's concerned about the risk of injury to her reputation. The team has been weakened by illness and injury. Careless use of these tools can cause serious bodily injury. She survived the accident without injury. She fell and suffered an injury to her arm. His athletic career has been slowed by injuries.
Recent Examples on the Web On the injury front, Ham confirmed that Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) will be re-evaluated early next week. —Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024 After missing more than a month of games because of a foot injury diagnosed as right foot medial tendinitis, Herro made his return in Friday’s win over the Rockets. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2024 The student, identified as Nina in a GoFundMe, suffered a brain injury and fractures in both femurs, her knee and her pelvis, according to the fundraiser description. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2024 Soto died March 21 from his injuries, the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office said. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 5 Apr. 2024 Hall’s 16-year-old daughter never regained consciousness and died from her injuries four days later at the hospital. —Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024 Unaccompanied children and young families sometimes arrive in poor health, according to aid workers and medical volunteers at the sites, suffering from traumatic injuries or chronic health conditions that require medications that have long since run out. —arkansasonline.com, 5 Apr. 2024 The award is given to civilians in Canada and the United States for risking death or serious injury in an attempt to save others. —Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024 Throughout the weekend, authorities marked a grim rise in the death count— as recovery teams discovered additional bodies and other victims succumbed to injuries. —Charles Maynes, NPR, 25 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'injury.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English injurie, from Anglo-French, Latin injuria, from injurus injurious, from in- + jur-, jus right — more at just

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of injury was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing injury

Dictionary Entries Near injury

injurious

injury

injury-prone

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Injury.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/injury. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

injury

noun
in·​ju·​ry ˈinj-(ə-)rē How to pronounce injury (audio)
plural injuries
1
: an act that damages or hurts : wrong
2
: hurt, damage, or loss received

Medical Definition

injury

noun
in·​ju·​ry ˈinj-(ə-)rē How to pronounce injury (audio)
plural injuries
: hurt, damage, or loss sustained

Legal Definition

injury

noun
in·​ju·​ry
plural injuries
1
: an act that wrongs or harms another
specifically : a violation of a legally protected interest (as the physical or mental well-being, property, reputation, or rights of another) for which the law allows an action for legal or equitable relief
2
: hurt, damage, or loss sustained
Etymology

Latin injuria, from injurus injurious, from in- not + jur-, jus right

More from Merriam-Webster on injury

Nglish: Translation of injury for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of injury for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about injury

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