rubs salt in someone's wounds

A form of rub salt in someone's wounds — To make a painful situation even worse (even with the best of intentions).

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verb
  1. indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of rub salt in someone's wounds
Cite this entry
APA

rubs salt in someone's wounds. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rubs%20salt%20in%20someone's%20wounds

MLA

“rubs salt in someone's wounds.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rubs%20salt%20in%20someone's%20wounds. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rubs salt in someone's wounds,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rubs%20salt%20in%20someone's%20wounds.

Source: rubs salt in someone's wounds on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.