WordWeb Online

1. Causing mental or emotional injury
   "a bruising experience"; "protected from the bruising facts of battle"
    
2. Brutally forceful and compelling
   "protected from the bruising facts of battle"

1. Injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
   "I bruised my knee";
   - contuse
    
2. Cause (somebody) emotional pain or offence
   "This remark really bruised my ego";
   - hurt, wound, injure, offend, spite
    
3. (cooking) break up into small pieces for food preparation
   "bruise the berries with a wooden spoon and strain them"
    
4. Damage (plant tissue) by abrasion or pressure
   "The customer bruised the strawberries by squeezing them"

See also: forceful, harmful

Type of: arouse, crush, damage, elicit, enkindle [literary], evoke, fire, injure, kindle, provoke, raise, wound

Encyclopedia: Bruising