æd ˈɪnsʌlt tuː ˈɪndʒəri
- Literally:
- To insult someone after physically injuring them
What does "add insult to injury" mean?
- To make a bad situation worse by doing something else harmful
- To worsen an already painful situation with additional offense
Examples
- Not only did they fire him, but to add insult to injury, they asked him to train his replacement.
- She crashed the car, and to add insult to injury, it started raining.
- They lost the game, and to add insult to injury, their star player got injured.
Origin
Derived from one of Aesop's fables about a bald man and a fly. When he tried to swat a fly that bit him on his head, he hit himself instead. The fly mocked him, adding insult to his injury. The phrase has been used in English since the 18th century.
How to use it
Very common phrase used when describing situations where something bad gets worse. Often introduced with 'to add insult to injury...'
Similar expressions
Opposites
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
Use it in a practice answer
Try "add insult to injury" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.