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. Cause a bruise or injury that discolours the skin without breaking it
   "I bruised my knee";
   - contuse [technical]
    
2. Cause (somebody) emotional pain or offence
   "This remark really bruised my ego";
   - hurt, wound, injure, offend, spite
    
3. Damage (plant tissue) by abrasion or pressure
   "The customer bruised the strawberries by squeezing them"
    
4. (cooking) break up into small pieces for food preparation
   "bruise the berries with a wooden spoon and strain them"

See also: forceful, harmful

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

Encyclopedia: Bruising