Definition of "sore"

Malice and hatred are very fretting and vexatious, and apt to make our minds sore and uneasy.

1671, John Tillotson, “Sermon IV. The Advantages of Religion to Particular Persons. Psalm XIX. 11.”, in The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: , published 1720

“God damn it.” He was sore as hell. He was really furious.

1951, J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Little, Brown and Company, page 53

[…] and your water is a sore decayer of your whoreson dead body.

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act V, scene i]

And they answered Ioshua, and said, Because it was certainely told thy seruants, how that the Lord thy God commanded his seruant Moses to giue you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our liues because of you, and haue done this thing.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Joshua 9:24

But on that day when Lancelot fled the lists, / His party, knights of utmost North and West, / Lords of waste marches, kings of desolate isles, / Came round their great Pendragon, saying to him / 'Lo, Sire, our knight thro' whom we won the day / Hath gone sore wounded, and hath left his prize / Untaken, crying that his prize is death.'

1859, Alfred Tennyson, “Elaine”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], pages 174–175

Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out.

1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], “The Old Punt: A Curious ‘Turnpike’”, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], pages 19–20

And indeed I blamed myself and sore repented me of having taken compassion on him and continued in this condition, suffering fatigue not to be described, […]

1885, Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night

[… they] were often sore pressed to follow the trail at all, and at best were so delayed that in the afternoon of the second day, they still had not overhauled the fugitive.

1919, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jungle Tales of Tarzan‎

I see plainly where his sore lies.

1822, [Walter Scott], Peveril of the Peak. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co.

Of the soare faulcon so I learn to fly

1596, Edmund Spenser, An Hymne of Heavenly Beautie

Some say a Sore, but not a sore, till now made sore with shooting.The Dogges did yell, put ell to Sore, then Sorell iumps from thicket:Or Pricket-sore, or else Sorell, the people fall a hooting.If Sore be sore, then ell to Sore, makes fiftie sores O sorell:Of one sore I an hundred make by adding but one more L.

c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act IV, scene ii]