soreadjective
uk/sɔːr/us/sɔːr/sore adjective (PAINFUL)
B1 painful and uncomfortable because of injury, infection, or too much use:
All the dust has made my eyes sore.
I've got a sore back.
My feet were sore with all the walking.
More examples
- My eyes feel really sore.
- I've got a sore throat and a runny nose.
- My throat is so sore that it really hurts when I swallow.
- The chlorine in the pool makes my eyes sore.
- The muscles in my legs still feel very sore after all that exercise.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Pain & painful
- -racked
- achy
- agonizing
- cluster headache
- dodgy
- earache
- hell
- hurt
- masochism
- non-ulcer stomach pain
- painful
- painfully
- rack
- racking
- shooting pains
- suffering
- tender
- throb
- torment
- wince
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sore adjective (ANGRY)
US informal angry because you feel you have been unfairly treated:
He accused me of being a sore loser (= someone who does not accept defeat well).
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Angry and displeased
- acrimonious
- aggrieved
- amused
- annoyed
- apoplectic
- blistering
- exasperated
- fed up
- fed up to the back teeth idiom
- fit to be tied idiom
- furious
- huff
- incandescent
- incense
- outrage
- peeved
- pique
- pissed off
- rancour
- scalp
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soreness
noun [ U ] uk/ˈsɔː.nəs/us/ˈsɔːr.nəs/
Idiom(s)
stand/stick out like a sore thumb
sorenoun [ C ]
uk/sɔːr/us/sɔːr/a painful area on the surface of a body, especially an infected area:
The poor dog's back was covered with sores.
See also
cold sore
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Skin complaints & blemishes
- boil
- calloused
- capillary telangiectasia
- cradle cap
- crusta lactea
- dandruff
- diaper rash
- heat rash
- hive
- jaundice
- lupus
- pitted
- prickle
- pustule
- rash
- scabby
- sinus
- spotty
- ulcerated
- verruca
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