# rub salt in someone's wounds

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. To make a painful situation even worse (even with the best of intentions).

## Etymology
From the practice of using salt to inhibit infection of open wounds.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rub-salt-in-someone-s-wounds