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

Don’t wait for a pain point to invest in infrastructure. —John Rubinetti, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025

The company solves pain points like long lead times, and lack of local supply. —Olumuyiwa Olowogboyega, semafor.com, 14 July 2025

The Perks of Free Kids Meals for Parents Omni’s new summer offer puts a spotlight on the pain points of traveling with picky eaters. —Liz Regalia, Parents, 7 July 2025

Republican leaders, the White House and disparate factions within the Senate and House GOP have been meeting to find middle ground on other pain points, such as tweaking the caps on state and local tax (SALT) deductions. —Jackson Thompson , Kelly Phares, FOXNews.com, 28 June 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