adj
sore
saw
adj
1
Painful or tender, especially to the touch.
"My legs were sore for days after the hike."
"He has a sore throat and can barely speak."
2
Informal: annoyed, upset, or resentful about something.
"She's still sore about losing the final match."
noun
1
A patch of injured, infected, or inflamed skin.
"The boots rubbed a sore on the back of his heel."
How to Use Sore
Learner’s notes
Common mistake
As slang for "upset," it's informal — avoid it in formal writing (use "resentful" or "annoyed" instead).
When to use it
The "annoyed" sense is casual/American in flavour.
Common pairings
sore throat
sore muscles
a sore loser
sore about it
Word Forms
sorer comparative, sored past tense, sores plural, sores plural, sores singular, sorest superlative
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My legs were _____ for days after the hike.
Etymology
From Old English sar ("pain, wound"), related to German sehr ("very") — the two words split from the same root, one keeping the sense of pain and the other becoming an intensifier.