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

One of my biggest pain points (besides hormonal breakouts) is hyperpigmentation, both in the form of post-acne marks and sun spots. — Deanna Pai, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2026

One of the largest pain points during Friday’s event originated from a player meet-and-greet. — Idaho Statesman, 6 Aug. 2026

That means rigorous market research, clear differentiation from the crowded AI field, and deep discovery into ideal client pain points. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

One of the most dreadful packing pain points is the anxiety of whether everything will actually fit in your suitcase, which, thankfully, my Away Bigger Carry-on has eliminated. — Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 1 Aug. 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