blesser

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injure, hurt, wound, jar, hurt
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العربية الفصحى
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/blese/
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To make someone or something suffer harm.
Practice using blesser in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • Il s'est blessé de leur silence.
    He took offence at their silence.
  • La chute lui a blessé le genou.
    The fall injured his knee.
  • Le joueur risque de blesser son adversaire avec ce geste.
    The player risks injuring his opponent with that move.
  • Ces paroles peuvent blesser inutilement.
    Those words can hurt for no reason.
  • L'odeur âcre lui blessait le nez.
    The acrid smell hurt his nose.

Similar words

ulcérer
heurter
écorcher
écorcher
mortifier
heurter
enfreindre
compromettre
peiner
amocher

Meanings

Cause physical injury

verb
health
neutral
To damage a person, animal, or part of the body through a blow, cut, pressure, rubbing, or another physical cause.

Examples

  • La chute lui a blessé le genou.
    The fall injured his knee.
  • Elle s'est blessée en coupant du pain.
    She hurt herself while cutting bread.
  • Le joueur risque de blesser son adversaire avec ce geste.
    The player risks injuring his opponent with that move.
  • Ces chaussures me blessent les talons.
    These shoes hurt my heels.
  • Le vétérinaire a soigné l'oiseau blessé.
    The vet treated the injured bird.

Similar words

meurtrir
contusionner
écorcher
entailler
léser
amocher

Jar the senses

verb
sensory
neutral
To cause sharp, unpleasant discomfort to the eyes, ears, or another sense.

Examples

  • Cette lumière crue me blesse les yeux.
    This harsh light hurts my eyes.
  • Les notes aiguës blessaient l'oreille.
    The high notes hurt the ear.
  • L'odeur âcre lui blessait le nez.
    The acrid smell hurt his nose.
  • Baisse l'écran s'il te blesse les yeux.
    Dim the screen if it hurts your eyes.
  • Le contraste violent blesse le regard.
    The violent contrast jars the eye.

Similar words

agresser
écorcher
heurter
irriter
gêner

Hurt emotionally

verb
emotions
neutral
To cause emotional pain, often by offending someone’s feelings, pride, or sense of respect.

Examples

  • Sa remarque l'a profondément blessée.
    His remark hurt her deeply.
  • Je ne voulais pas te blesser.
    I did not mean to hurt you.
  • Il s'est blessé de leur silence.
    He took offence at their silence.
  • Ces paroles peuvent blesser inutilement.
    Those words can hurt for no reason.
  • Elle était blessée qu'on ait oublié son invitation.
    She was hurt that her invitation had been forgotten.

Similar words

froisser
vexer
offenser
peiner
heurter
mortifier
ulcérer

Violate rights or principles

verb
law
literary
In literary or formal use, to harm an interest or go against a right, truth, principle, or ideal.

Examples

  • Cette décision blesse leurs intérêts.
    This decision harms their interests.
  • Une telle règle blesserait le principe d'égalité.
    Such a rule would violate the principle of equality.
  • Le mensonge blesse la vérité.
    A lie offends the truth.
  • L'accord ne doit blesser aucun droit acquis.
    The agreement must not violate any acquired right.
  • Cette mesure risque de blesser la justice.
    This measure risks offending justice.

Similar words

léser
enfreindre
violer
heurter
compromettre
nuire

Etymology

From Old French blecier, traced by modern dictionaries to the Gallo-Romance form blettiare, meaning “to bruise.”

FAQ

What does blesser mean?

blesser most often means to injure or hurt, physically or emotionally.

Does blesser mean “to bless”?

No. English to bless is usually bénir, while blesser means to injure or hurt.

How is blesser pronounced?

blesser is pronounced /blese/ in standard metropolitan French.

What is the difference between blesser and se blesser?

blesser takes the injured person or thing as its object, while se blesser means to hurt oneself or get injured.

Is blesser a regular verb?

Yes. blesser is a regular first-group verb ending in -er.

Can blesser describe emotional pain?

Yes. It commonly means to hurt someone’s feelings or pride.

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