add insult to injury

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "add insult to injury" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe a situation in which an unfavorable event is compounded by something else that makes it worse. For example: After four hours of studying, my mock exam results added insult to injury when they showed that I had failed.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

56 human-written examples

Cutting again would add insult to injury.

The Guardian - Business

To add insult to injury, she falls off when dismounting.

The Guardian

Somehow this serves to add insult to injury.

The Guardian - Opinion

To add insult to injury, they were denied equal pay.

The New York Times

"It's another way to add insult to injury for taxpayers".

The New York Times - Sports

To add insult to injury, acetaminophen may have deleterious effects beyond the liver.

Harvard University

To add insult to injury, they built a chemical factory next door.

The Guardian

To add insult to injury, TV footage showed Llorente was offside.

The Guardian - Sport

To add insult to injury, both also increase the longstanding price guarantee for sugar.

The New York Times

To add insult to injury, it's my birthday on the 23rd.

The Guardian - Music

To add insult to injury, you'll now be paying $6,174 a month in rent!

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use the phrase "add insult to injury" when you want to emphasize that something has made a bad situation even worse or more unfair.

Common error

While widely understood, using "add insult to injury" might be too informal for highly formal or academic writing. Choose a more neutral alternative like "exacerbate the situation" or "compound the problem" for a more professional tone.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "add insult to injury" functions as an idiomatic expression used to emphasize that a bad situation has been made worse by a further negative action or event. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's a recognized and usable phrase.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Academia

10%

Science

5%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Wiki

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "add insult to injury" is a common and grammatically sound idiomatic expression used to describe a situation where a bad state of affairs is worsened by a further negative action. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is usable in written English. While primarily found in news and media contexts, its usage spans various domains. While the phrase may be too informal for academic writing, consider alternatives such as "aggravate the problem" or "make matters worse" to maintain a professional tone.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

rub salt in the wound

This phrase intensifies the original harm by inflicting further pain or humiliation.

pour gasoline on the flames

This emphasizes that the situation goes beyond just making it worse, it's intensifying it.

add fuel to the fire

This intensifies an already heated situation by making it more volatile.

make matters worse

This phrase simply indicates that the situation has deteriorated further.

add aggravation to the situation

This highlights the frustrating aspect of making a bad situation even worse.

aggravate the problem

This suggests making an existing problem more serious or troublesome.

compound the problem

This phrase suggests that an existing problem is being made more complex or severe.

heighten the distress

This focuses on the emotional impact of worsening an already upsetting situation.

exacerbate the issue

This phrase focuses on the act of making the initial issue worse.

pile on

This suggests adding more difficulty or negativity onto an already burdened situation.

FAQs

How can I use "add insult to injury" in a sentence?

You can use "add insult to injury" to emphasize that a bad situation has been made worse. For example: "After losing my job, "to add insult to injury", my car broke down."

What does "add insult to injury" mean?

The phrase "add insult to injury" means to make a bad situation even worse, often by doing something that is inconsiderate or unfair.

Which phrase is similar to "add insult to injury"?

Similar phrases include "rub salt in the wound", "add fuel to the fire", or "make matters worse".

Is it appropriate to use "add insult to injury" in formal writing?

While understandable, "add insult to injury" is generally considered informal. For formal writing, consider alternatives like "compound the problem" or "exacerbate the situation".