injury
C1Formal, Legal, Medical, News, General
Definition
Meaning
Physical harm or damage to the body caused by an accident, attack, or event.
Harm, damage, or wrong done to a person's body, rights, reputation, or feelings; an instance of unjust treatment.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Typically refers to a single, countable instance of physical harm (e.g., 'a head injury'). Can be used figuratively for non-physical harm, especially in legal contexts ('injury to reputation'). The plural 'injuries' often refers to multiple wounds or the general state of being injured.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major differences in meaning or core usage. Legal phrasing may vary slightly (e.g., 'personal injury' vs. 'bodily injury' in insurance contexts).
Connotations
Identical in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally common in both BrE and AmE.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
sustain an injury (to N)recover from an injurysuffer an injurycause injury (to N)be treated for an injuryVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “add insult to injury”
- “rub salt into the wound (related concept)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
In HR or insurance contexts, e.g., 'workplace injury claims'.
Academic
In medical, sports science, or legal research.
Everyday
Discussing accidents, sports, or health.
Technical
Specific medical diagnoses (e.g., 'diffuse axonal injury') or legal terms ('tort of personal injury').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The player was injured during the match.
- He injured his knee playing rugby.
American English
- The quarterback injured his shoulder.
- She was injured in a car crash.
adverb
British English
- N/A (No direct adverbial form. 'Injuriously' is extremely rare and formal.)
American English
- N/A (No direct adverbial form. 'Injuriously' is extremely rare and formal.)
adjective
British English
- The injured party sought compensation.
- He was listed as injured on the team sheet.
American English
- The injured workers filed a lawsuit.
- An injured bird was rescued from the road.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- He has a small injury on his leg.
- She did not get an injury from the fall.
- The football player suffered a serious injury and left the game.
- If you lift heavy boxes, you risk back injury.
- Despite sustaining a minor injury during the expedition, she managed to complete the trek.
- The company was liable for the injury because of its unsafe working conditions.
- The plaintiff sought damages for both the physical injury and the consequent psychological trauma.
- The study correlates the type of sporting injury with long-term musculoskeletal degeneration.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'IN JURY' – being IN a situation where you need a JURY (court) because you were harmed.
Conceptual Metaphor
INJURY IS A TEAR/DAMAGE (to the fabric of the body/life).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'травма' (which is correct) and 'повреждение' (more general 'damage'). Avoid using 'рана' (wound) for all injuries, as it implies a break in the skin.
- Russian 'инжурный' does not exist; 'injury' is a noun, not an adjective.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'injury' as an uncountable noun for a single instance (e.g., 'He has injury' is wrong; correct: 'He has an injury').
- Confusing 'injure' (verb) and 'damage' (verb) – we injure people/animals, but damage objects.
Practice
Quiz
In which phrase is 'injury' used figuratively?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is primarily countable (an injury, several injuries). It can be uncountable in abstract or legal contexts (e.g., 'liable for injury').
'Injury' is a broad term for physical harm. 'Wound' usually implies a break in the skin (cut, gunshot). 'Hurt' is more general and informal, often for pain or emotional distress.
'Injure' is formal and general for physical harm. 'Wound' typically means to cause a wound, often intentionally. 'Hurt' is the most common and versatile for both physical and emotional pain.
It means to make a bad situation even worse by doing something additional that upsets or offends the person.