sore
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: enpr: sô
ipa: /sɔː/
enpr: sôr
ipa: /soɹ/
note: rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger
enpr: sōr
ipa: /so(ː)ɹ/
note: rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger
note: non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger
ipa: /soə/
homophone: soar
homophone: saw (non-rhotic)
rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)
Forms: form: sorer
form: sorest
Etymology: From Middle English sor, from Old English sār (“ache, wound”, noun) and sār (“painful, grievous”, adjective), from Proto-West Germanic *sair, from Proto-Germanic *sairaz (adjective) from Proto-Indo-European *sh₂eyro-, enlargement of *sh₂ey- (“to be fierce, afflict”).
See also Dutch zeer (“sore, ache”), Danish sår (“wound”), German sehr (“very”); also Hittite [script needed] (sāwar, “anger”), Welsh hoed (“pain”), Ancient Greek αἱμωδία (haimōdía, “sensation of having teeth on edge”).
Senses: examples: text: Her feet were sore from walking so far.
synonyms: word: aching
word: smarting
word: achesome
word: aching
word: achy
word: raw
word: hurt
word: hurty
word: griefful
word: pained
word: painfilled
word: painful
word: smartful
word: smarting
word: sore
word: suffering
word: tender
word: tormented
glosses: Causing pain or discomfort; painfully sensitive.
examples: text: Malice and hatred are very fretting and vexatious, and apt to make our minds sore and uneasy.
ref: 1671, John Tillotson, “Sermon IV. The Advantages of Religion to Particular Persons. Psalm XIX. 11.”, in The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: […], London: […] B. Aylmer, […]; [a]nd W. Rogers, […], published 1696, →OCLC:
synonyms: delicate
fragile
tetchy
touchy
glosses: Sensitive; tender; easily pained, grieved, or vexed; very susceptible of irritation.
examples: text: The school was in sore need of textbooks, theirs having been ruined in the flood.
glosses: Dire; distressing.
examples: text: Joe was sore at Bob for beating him at checkers.
text: “God damn it.” He was sore as hell. He was really furious.
ref: 1951 July 16, J[erome] D[avid] Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →OCLC, page 53:
text: TfN is clearly very sore about last year's axing of part of HS2.
ref: 2024 May 1, “Network News: Do TfN and the DfT actually respect each other?”, in RAIL, number 1008, page 13:
synonyms: word: irked
word: ratty
word: annoyed
word: angry
word: aggravated
word: agitated
word: bothered
word: exasperated
word: frustrated
word: irritable
word: irritated
word: irked
word: peeved
word: pestered
word: pissy
word: ratty
word: shitty
word: sore
word: tired
word: vexed
word: bee in one's bonnet
word: have it in for
word: hot and bothered
word: hold a grudge
word: brassed off
word: browned off
word: cheesed off
word: peed off
word: pissed off
word: PO'd
word: teed off
word: ticked off
word: angry
word: annoyed
word: apoplectic
word: bad-tempered
word: berserk
word: big mad
word: blood-boiling
word: boiling mad
word: cheesed off
word: choleric
word: cross
word: enraged
word: fit to be tied
word: fuming
word: furibund
word: furious
word: fury
word: glimflashy
word: hopping mad
word: ill-natured
word: incensed
word: infuriated
word: irate
word: ireful
word: ired
word: irritated
word: little mad
word: livid
word: mad
word: mad as a bear with a sore head
word: pathetic
word: pissed off
word: p'd off
word: pissed
word: pissy
word: raging
word: ready to be tied
word: screwfaced
word: seething
word: spitting chips
word: splenetic
word: sore
word: steaming
word: up on one's ear
word: vexed
word: waxy
word: wode
word: wrathful
word: wroth
word: zowerswopped
glosses: Feeling animosity towards someone; annoyed or angered.
examples: text: […]and your water is a sore decayer of your whoreson dead body.
ref: c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
glosses: Criminal; wrong; evil.
Derived terms: sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: like a bear with a sore head
sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: mad as a bear with a sore head
sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: sight for sore eyes
sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: sore boob means more boob
sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: sore eyes
sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: sore loser
sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: sorely
sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: soreness
sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: sore point
sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: sore throat
sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: sore thumb
sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: sore-thumbish
sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: sore winner
sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: stand out like a sore thumb
sense: Terms derived from sore (adjective)
word: stick out like a sore thumb