Soreness is the achy, tender feeling in your muscles after you've used them hard. If you spend Saturday helping your family move furniture or playing in your first soccer game of the season, you'll probably wake up Sunday feeling sore. Your legs might feel stiff, your arms might hurt when you lift them, and sitting down or standing up might make you wince a little.

This happens because intense exercise creates tiny tears in your muscle fibers. As your body repairs them, you feel that characteristic soreness. Athletes call it being “sore from a good workout.” The soreness usually peaks a day or two after the activity, then gradually fades as your muscles heal and get stronger.

Soreness can also describe any tender or painful feeling in your body. You might have soreness in your throat when you're getting sick, or soreness around a scraped knee. The word captures that specific sensation where something hurts when you touch it or move it, but isn't a sharp or stabbing pain.

Interestingly, regular exercise makes you less prone to soreness over time. Your body adapts, and activities that once left you hobbling around become much easier.