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
Billy PolsonCustomer 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
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
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
Jura Konicus Examples of pain point in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One of the pain points that has thwarted textile-to-textile recycling at scale is the preponderance of elastane that’s blended into everything from denim to leggings.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 5 Jan. 2026
Health care costs are already a pain point in many people’s budgets.
—Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 1 Jan. 2026
The Downside of Going By Your Middle Name While there are plenty of practical and heartwarming reasons for a parent to call their child by a middle name, lots of commenters who go by their middle names were very vocal about the pain points that often accompany the practice.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2025
That's a common pain point when transmission lines go up, according to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission – that people living along them bear the burden for energy to flow to others.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 12 Dec. 2025
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Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 5 Jan. 2026
Health care costs are already a pain point in many people’s budgets.
—Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 1 Jan. 2026
The Downside of Going By Your Middle Name While there are plenty of practical and heartwarming reasons for a parent to call their child by a middle name, lots of commenters who go by their middle names were very vocal about the pain points that often accompany the practice.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2025
That's a common pain point when transmission lines go up, according to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission – that people living along them bear the burden for energy to flow to others.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pain point
Cite this Entry
“Pain point.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pain%20point. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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