hurtful
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hurtful
An action, statement, or behavior that deeply hurts or offends another person's feelings. It describes something that causes emotional pain.
Seine verletzenden Worte haben sie sehr getroffen.
His hurtful words affected her deeply.
'Verletzend' (hurtful) is the present participle of the verb 'verletzen' (to hurt/injure). It describes an action or quality that actively causes pain, usually emotional pain. It answers the question: 'What is something like?'
Seine Kritik war unnötig verletzend.
His criticism was unnecessarily hurtful.
Don't confuse 'verletzend' (hurtful) with 'verletzt' (hurt/injured). 'Verletzend' describes the cause of the pain, such as words, while 'verletzt' (past participle) describes the state of the person who feels the pain.
Deine Bemerkung war sehr verletzend.
Your comment was very hurtful.
The adjective 'verletzend' (hurtful) is almost always used for intangible things that attack someone's feelings. Typical nouns are: 'verletzende Worte' (hurtful words), 'eine verletzende Bemerkung' (a hurtful comment), or 'verletzendes Verhalten' (hurtful behavior).
Er entschuldigte sich für sein verletzendes Verhalten auf der Party.
He apologized for his hurtful behavior at the party.
offensive
Beleidigend emphasizes that a statement attacks a person's dignity or honor. Verletzend places more emphasis on the emotional pain it causes. A statement can be both; the choice of word depends on whether the disrespectful content or the emotional impact is the main focus.
Seine kalte Bemerkung über ihre größte Sorge war sehr verletzend.
His cold remark about her greatest concern was very hurtful.
Seine respektlose Bemerkung über ihre Person war beleidigend.
His disrespectful remark about her was offensive.
