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painful
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pain·ful

adjective \ˈpān-fəl\
pain·ful·ler \-fə-lər\ pain·ful·lest

Definition of PAINFUL

1
a : feeling or giving pain <a painful injury>
b : irksome, annoying
2
: requiring effort or exertion <a long painful trip>
3
archaic : careful, diligent
— pain·ful·ly \-f(ə-)lē\ adverb
— pain·ful·ness \-fəl-nəs\ noun
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Examples of PAINFUL

  1. I got a painful sunburn.
  2. We can't ignore our country's painful history of slavery.
  3. His questions brought up a lot of painful memories.
  4. It was painful to watch.

First Known Use of PAINFUL

14th century

Related to PAINFUL

Synonyms
aching, achy, afflictive, hurting, nasty, sore
Antonyms
indolent, painless

Rhymes with PAINFUL

baneful, gainful

pain·ful

adjective \ˈpān-fəl\   (Medical Dictionary)
pain·ful·ler \-fə-lər\ pain·ful·lest

Medical Definition of PAINFUL

: feeling or giving pain
—pain·ful·ly \-f(ə-)lē\ adverb

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