injured

The word “injured” means hurt, having suffered physical damage. In plain terms, physically hurt, whether from an accident, a fall, or an attack.

“Injured” is pronounced IHND-zhuhd (/ˈɪnd͡ʒɚd/ in IPA).

Here is “injured” used in a sentence: “The injured hiker was airlifted to the nearest hospital.”

“Injured” is an adjective.

“Injured” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

Both mean physically hurt, but the cause differs. Wounded usually implies deliberate harm, especially by a weapon, as with soldiers wounded in battle. Injured is broader and more neutral, covering accidents, sport, and everyday mishaps. A footballer is injured in a tackle; a soldier is wounded by gunfire, though injured fits there too.

Hurt is the everyday word for feeling pain and can be mild or emotional. Injured is more specific, meaning the body has suffered actual physical damage. You can be hurt without being injured, as with a passing ache, but if you are injured, some real bodily harm has occurred.

The opposite is unhurt, uninjured, or unharmed, describing someone who has escaped physical damage. If a person walks away from an accident uninjured, their body is undamaged. Healthy and intact also contrast with injured, pointing to a state where no physical harm has been suffered.