proverb · Words worth keeping
Hard words break no bones.
Hard words break no bones.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying denies that harsh words break bones. It contrasts verbal hurt with a particular form of physical injury.
What the words are saying
The narrow physical comparison understates what speech can do. A critical explanation should not adopt the supplied claim that verbal attacks cannot seriously harm anyone. Words can matter, and a person’s distress or need for support should not be dismissed because no bone is broken.
Everyday example
A listener takes a hurtful remark seriously rather than using the saying to brush aside its impact.
When to use it
Use it to question a narrow comparison that minimises verbal harm.
What it does not mean
Absence of broken bones does not establish harmlessness or make distress trivial.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 566; PDF page 82
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.