From time to time, we all find ourselves with “hurt feelings.” But are there any better ways to say “hurt feelings” when you’re at work or in a formal setting?
We’ll discuss this question in the article below! Moreover, we’ll consider how to describe “hurt feelings” without coming across as emotional or unprofessional at work.
Hurt Feelings Synonyms
- Offense
- Wounded pride
- Umbrage
- Bruised ego
- Upset
- Distress
- Soreness
- Pique
- Emotional damage
- Indignation
- Bitterness
- Anguish
- Sting
- Crestfallen
- Dejected
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- “Hurt feelings” is a correct phrase, but you should use it with caution in a formal setting, if at all.
- A one-word alternative that you can use in a professional setting is “offense.”
- Another better phrase to use in a professional setting is “wounded pride.”
Keep reading to learn how to say “hurt feelings” using less emotive words. Moreover, we’ll show you how to use each of our chosen synonyms in some helpful examples.
After that, we’ll consider whether the phrase “hurt feelings” is correct and whether you can use it in a formal situation.
Offense
“Offense” is another word for “hurt feelings” that you can use when you or someone else has been treated with disrespect.
This is certainly a more professional way to say “hurt feelings.”
After all, the original phrase comes across as fairly personal and emotive. Many workplaces try to avoid such sentiments!
“Offense,” on the other hand, comes across as a more reasonable response to somebody else’s unkind behavior.
Therefore, you can use this phrase to express disapproval of someone’s behavior at work.
Or, you can use it to point out that someone has hurt your or someone else’s feelings without coming across as unprofessional.
Consider this example:
Mr. Seymour took offense at the remarks made by your client last week.
As you can see, “offense” is a much better word to use than “hurt feelings” in this example. If you were to use the original phrase, the other person may struggle to take you seriously.
Let’s see this formal synonym in an email sample:
Dear Ayanda,
I don’t mean any offense, but this particular issue may be beyond your area of expertise.
Sincerely,
Fatima
As you can see, the sentence above comes across as more respectful than “I don’t mean to hurt your feelings.” The latter expression might imply that the other person is too emotional.
Wounded Pride
Another way to say “hurt feelings” in a more formal setting is “wounded pride.”
“Pride” refers to a feeling of satisfaction that one might feel about themselves or their accomplishments.
Therefore, if someone is critical or disrespectful, this may wound one’s pride or, in other words, hurt their feelings.
“Wounded pride” has slightly different connotations to “hurt feelings.” After all, the former phrase creates the image of someone proud, but who has taken a hit to their self-confidence.
“Hurt feelings” tends to indicate that a person is sensitive to criticism and not self-assured in general.
Therefore, “wounded pride” is a better phrase to go with in a professional setting. Namely, it comes across as less patronizing or assumingthan “hurt feelings.”
Consider this example:
I think questioning his authority may have wounded his pride.
If you replaced “wounded his pride” with “hurt his feelings,” you may sound as if you are mocking the person you are talking about.
This is very risky in a professional setting, especially if you are speaking about a client.
You can also use this synonym in an email exchange with a coworker, like in the following example:
Dear Shiana,
I believe Miss Freeman’s wounded pride may be impacting her decisions at present.
I suggest we give her some time to re-evaluate her options.
Kind regards,
Loise
Is It Correct to Say “Hurt Feelings”?
The phrase “hurt feelings” is perfectly grammatically correct.
However, we would recommend that you use it with caution, especially in formal circumstances.
Implying that someone else may have “hurt feelings” at work may come across as condescending. As we said earlier, this phrase often gives the impression that someone is sensitive or emotional.
In addition, being too expressive about your own deeply hurt feelings at work may come across as unprofessional.
Of course, this depends on your industry. However, most workplaces prefer that we act as rationally as possible at work, without letting our emotions sway our decision-making too much.
Therefore, even if a situation were to hurt one’s feelings at work, your employer would generally expect that you deal with the situation calmly and then unpack your feelings about it at home.
If you think our list of synonyms for “hurt feelings” might come in handy one day, why don’t you bookmark this page for later?