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

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

Accurately and completely articulating your organization’s pain points, ideal outcomes and success metrics will help ensure that the agency understands your challenges and can recommend a path forward based on their experience and specializations. —Andrea Aker, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

In addition, data centers are known to use a lot of electricity and water, both potential environmental pain points for Indiana residents. —Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 3 Sep. 2025

With oil prices falling, electricity prices have emerged as the key energy pain point for families and the target for aggressive energy policy. —Terry Jarrett, Boston Herald, 28 Aug. 2025

This unique, insider perspective enables Sean and his team to develop features that address industry pain points, making AppWork more than just another software. —Jason Phillips, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2025

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