DictionaryAI

injure

verb
IN-jur/ˈɪn.d͡ʒɚ/UKIN-juh/ˈɪn.dʒə/

Formsinjures, injuring, injured

3 meanings of injure

Practice

  1. 1
    verbtransitive
    To wound a person or animal, or otherwise cause physical harm to a living body.

    Fireworks injure hundreds of people every year.

    He injured his shoulder lifting the heavy crate.

    Similarhurt, wound, harm, damage, maul

    Oppositeheal

  2. 2
    verbtransitive
    To cause damage to something or weaken how well it works.

    Prolonged exposure to noise can injure one's hearing.

    The drought severely injured the region's wheat harvest.

    Similardamage, harm, impair, mar, deface

    Oppositeimprove, benefit, enhance

  3. 3
    verbtransitive
    To act unjustly toward someone; to wrong them.

    Critics argued the verdict injured an innocent man.

    You injure me when you question my loyalty.

    Similarwrong, offend, insult, hurt

    Oppositehelp, benefit, praise, preserve

    Note

    Here the word stands closest to its roots. The verb is a back-formation from the noun injury, which goes back through Anglo-Norman to Latin iniūria, "injustice, wrong," built from in- "not" and iūs "right, law." The Latin word named a wrong, not a wound. Unlike the bodily meaning, the harm here falls on what a person is owed, so its opposites are benefit, help, praise and preserve rather than heal.

Practice

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Origin

This is a back-formation from 'injury', which came through Anglo-Norman 'injurie' from Latin 'iniuria' (injustice, wrong, offense), formed from 'in-' (not) plus 'ius, iuris' (right, law).