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Synonyms

bruising

British  
/ ˈbruːzɪŋ /

adjective

  1. causing bruises, as by a blow

  2. aggressively antagonistic; hurtful

    four months of bruising negotiation
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a bruise or bruises

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s betting that in doing so developers can build low-income homes quicker and cheaper in a county with a bruising affordability and homelessness crisis.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

A bruising draw in the Battle of the Bridge ended Tottenham's hopes before they lost their final two games to slip to third.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

Hockey was a bruising, inelegant sport played in the frozen tundra of Canada and the upper Midwest when Vachon was traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Kings in the winter of 1971.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

Howe issued similar words after a bruising defeat against bitter rivals Sunderland last time out.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

The bruising cold wind shoved me along, every step bringing the class grass nearer to Brose, Nashend, and Little.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.