Hurt
Hurt verb - To reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of.
Usage example: don't worry that you'll hurt the new lawn by walking across it
Improve
Improve verb - To make better.
Usage example: a little salt would improve this bland food
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
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He doesn't hurt people and has clear ethics but is never shown to get out of his way to meddle and improve their life either.
Source: Web Video / Emma Approved -
Loud of War: Rather than hurt Dodger the dog to activate the Powder of Sympathy, they instead make him listen to Susan Boyle sing "I Dreamed a Dream." Motion Capture: Used to examine the ways James can improve his football penalty kick skills.
Source: Series / James May's Man Lab -
Some policies will improve your standing with a region, others will hurt it.
Source: Slave to PR
Cite this Source
Improve and Hurt. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/hurt/improve
Hurt & Improve. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/hurt/improve>.
Improve or Hurt. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/hurt/improve.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "hurt" and "improve" have occurred on timeline