pain point

noun

plural pain points

: a persistent or recurring problem (as with a product or service) that frequently inconveniences or annoys customers

When you're in an established market, you have an established customer; their needs and pain points are clearly laid out on your competitors' review sites.

—Billy Polson

Customer service, which has been a pain point of bigger banks for years, is also improving in that it's getting faster and requires little from you.

—Chris Welch

broadly : something that is a recurring source of trouble, annoyance, or distress

One generation's parenting gospel often becomes another's pain point.

—Lynda Lin Grigsby

Meanwhile, ironing is a pain point with her boyfriend because she loves the look of a crisply pressed men's shirt. "He never irons his shirts and it drives me crazy," she [Elyse Moody] says.

—Jura Konicus

Examples of pain point in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fragmented reporting, cybersecurity concerns, and operational inefficiencies are now common pain points for wealthy families. —Andy Busser, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026

But even as adoption rises, operational pain points persist. —Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 17 June 2026

Startups aiming to tackle some of the Gulf’s largest pain points and opportunities — financial inclusion, food security, and longer lifespans, to name a few — are a crucial part of the UAE’s diversification drive and its efforts to import less technology and build more at home. —Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 10 June 2026

The case for going native Because so many birds and insects are specialized eaters, the loss of habitats studded with native species has been a pain point for many wildlife enthusiasts. —Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 8 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1986, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pain point

• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint
• gunpoint
• midpoint
• nonpoint
• pinpoint
• standpoint