I have been told that ignoring someone is the worst thing you can do to that person, why?

[Anonymous]

How can ignoring someone be more hurtful to them than mean words or whatever?

[lumos]

I wouldn't go as far as saying that it's the "worst" thing you can do someone, but I do think it's one of many very horrible things you can do to someone, especially if they know you on a personal level. Ignoring a stranger is somewhat expected at times so it's nothing personal. But ignoring someone you actually know is rude.
Depending on the scenario, a lot of nagging questions will be left unanswered for the one who's being ignored. "Why are they doing this, what have I done wrong, is there anything I can do to make them stop ignoring me?" etc. Not only that, but they might also feel abandoned, and obviously very hurt and confused. If the one who's ignoring the person decided to do it suddenly, it will send mixed signals. Like one day everything is fine, and the next, no answer. As if they went from liking you to hating you in 24 hours. That's scary. The ignored person feels powerless, helpless. Lots of mixed emotions to experience, and the pain of knowing that someone is playing with you like a toy/only talking with you when it benefits them/sending mixed signals/possibly not liking you anymore.

[lumos]

In my opinion, you should always explain to someone why you're going to ignore them, before you do it, if it's someone you know on a personal level. That way they are more likely to leave you alone. Otherwise they might reach out and start spamming you with questions. It's better to just tell them so that the both of you can move on, or they can simply stop wasting time trying to contact you.

[Anonymous]

Ignoring means you've given up on that person. And when someone lashes out and says mean things, at least they still care enough to fight for you. Is this the context you were looking for?

[mooky06]

-ignoring someone can give signs of being the better person in a situation
-ignoring someone can allow doubts to accumulate
-ignoring someone can mean you don't care

[NYkid27]

If someone says mean things at least I know they don't like me and it doesn't bother me because growing up with 5 siblings gives you pretty thick skin. When someone ignores you have no idea if they hate you or not so it's really frustrating for me

[Anonymous]

Ignoring can be, but it depends on the person and how they take it, it can be torture.

Further on the scale from "ignore" is "ostracize", so ignoring can't actually be the "worst" thing...

[Anonymous]

because it's basically saying "your not worth it to tell you why i don't want to talk to you"