Meanings
present singular third person adds insult to injury · participle present adding insult to injury · participle past added insult to injury · past added insult to injury
- idiomaticTo further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an already unfavorable situation.
As if the hostile takeover weren't enough, to add insult to injury they scrapped ninety percent of our products and replaced them with their own.
1 more example
[...] the line crossed over an iron bridge spanning Ludgate Hill itself [...] neatly obliterating any view of St Paul's from Ludgate Circus and Fleet Street. A thousand people had put their names to a petition against the bridge. To add insult to injury it carried a small thicket of railway signals as well as regular steam trains.
2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 52Synonyms: heap insult on injury, make matters worse
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an already unfavorable situation.
Origin
Derived from the fables of Phaedrus in the first century CE. The story was of a bald man who swats at a fly which has just landed on his head, but instead hits himself on the head. The fly comments, "You wished to kill me for a touch. What will you do to yourself since you have added insult to injury?" (quid facies tibi, Iniuriae qui addideris contumeliam?) The actual wording appears in English from the middle of the 18th century.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic زَادَ الطِّينَ بِلَّةً
- زَادَ الطِّينَ بِلَّةً (zāda ṭ-ṭīna billatan)to further a loss with mockery or indignity
Bengali কাটা ঘায়ে নুনের ছিটে
- কাটা ঘায়ে নুনের ছিটে (kaṭa ghaẏe nuner chiṭe)to further a loss with mockery or indignity
Chinese Mandarin 雪上加霜, 落井下石
- 雪上加霜 (xuěshàngjiāshuāng)to further a loss with mockery or indignity
- 落井下石 (luòjǐngxiàshí)to further a loss with mockery or indignity
Danish føje spot til skade
- føje spot til skadeto further a loss with mockery or indignity
Finnish pahentaa asiaa entisestään
- pahentaa asiaa entisestäänto further a loss with mockery or indignity
French ajouter l'injure à l'insulte, pour couronner le tout
- ajouter l'injure à l'insulteto further a loss with mockery or indignity
- pour couronner le toutto further a loss with mockery or indignity
- comme si ça ne suffisait pasto further a loss with mockery or indignity
German Salz in die Wunde streuen, dem Ganzen die Krone aufsetzen
- Salz in die Wunde streuento further a loss with mockery or indignity
- dem Ganzen die Krone aufsetzento further a loss with mockery or indignity
- das Ganze noch schlimmer machento further a loss with mockery or indignity
- noch einen draufsetzento further a loss with mockery or indignity
Greek όλα του γάμου δύσκολα κι η νύφη γκαστρωμένη
- όλα του γάμου δύσκολα κι η νύφη γκαστρωμένη (óla tou gámou dýskola ki i nýfi gkastroméni)to further a loss with mockery or indignity
Hebrew הוסיף חטא על פשע, הרצחת וגם ירשת
- הוסיף חטא על פשעto further a loss with mockery or indignity
- הרצחת וגם ירשתto further a loss with mockery or indignity
Icelandic bæta gráu ofan á svart, gera vont verra
- bæta gráu ofan á svartto further a loss with mockery or indignity
- gera vont verrato further a loss with mockery or indignity
- bæta móðgun við meingjörðto further a loss with mockery or indignity
- blammerato further a loss with mockery or indignity
Irish cuir an tarcaisne i gceann na héagóra
- cuir an tarcaisne i gceann na héagórato further a loss with mockery or indignity
Italian oltre il danno la beffa, cornuto e mazziato
- oltre il danno la beffato further a loss with mockery or indignity
- cornuto e mazziatoto further a loss with mockery or indignity
Japanese 傷口に塩を塗る
- 傷口に塩を塗る (kizuguchi-ni shio-o nuru)to further a loss with mockery or indignity
Korean 설상가상, 엎친 데 덮친 격
- 설상가상 (seolsanggasang)to further a loss with mockery or indignity
- 엎친 데 덮친 격 (eopchin de deopchin gyeok)to further a loss with mockery or indignity
Polish dolewać oliwy do ognia, dolać oliwy do ognia
- dolewać oliwy do ogniato further a loss with mockery or indignity
- dolać oliwy do ogniato further a loss with mockery or indignity
Portuguese esfregar sal na ferida
- esfregar sal na feridato further a loss with mockery or indignity
Romanian a răsuci cuțitul în rană
- a răsuci cuțitul în ranăto further a loss with mockery or indignity
Russian сы́пать соль на ра́ну
- сы́пать соль на ра́ну (sýpatʹ solʹ na ránu)to further a loss with mockery or indignity
Scottish Gaelic bris mo chlaigeann air thùs, is an sin ciùrr mo chorrag
- bris mo chlaigeann air thùs, is an sin ciùrr mo chorragto further a loss with mockery or indignity
Spanish echar leña al fuego, para colmo de males
- echar leña al fuegoto further a loss with mockery or indignity
- para colmo de malesto further a loss with mockery or indignity
- para añadir insulto a la injuriato further a loss with mockery or indignity
- para añidir afrenta a la lesiónto further a loss with mockery or indignity
Swedish strö salt i såren
- strö salt i sårento further a loss with mockery or indignity
Vietnamese đổ thêm dầu vào lửa, xát muối vào vết thương
- đổ thêm dầu vào lửato further a loss with mockery or indignity
- xát muối vào vết thươngto further a loss with mockery or indignity
Cite this entry
add insult to injury. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/add%20insult%20to%20injury
“add insult to injury.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/add%20insult%20to%20injury. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “add insult to injury,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/add%20insult%20to%20injury.
Source: add insult to injury on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.