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

Small touches can soften tense edges, so look for any pain points in your environment. —Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 18 Feb. 2026

You're essentially wrapped in a cocoon of your own that your partner cannot disturb, which is definitely helpful—the biggest pain point of co-sleeping is usually blanket hogging throughout the night. —Aliyah Rodriguez, The Spruce, 17 Feb. 2026

The brand is meant to exist at the nexus of consumer pain points and accessibility. —James Manso, Footwear News, 17 Feb. 2026

Employers hire to remove pain points. —Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 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