1
: feeling pain : hurt
2
: expressing or involving pain
a pained expression
with pained surprise
Examples of pained in a Sentence
She wore a pained expression on her face.
He truly looked pained when he heard the news.
Recent Examples on the Web
The pained look on the freshman’s face and the hush of the Galen Center in those first few seconds was enough to transport at least some of the USC faithful in the crowd back to last March, when Trojan superstar JuJu Watkins injured her knee not far from the same spot.
—
Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The 25-year-old laughed off the results as a pained truth of now being in his seventh season in the NBA.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
Robinson, who, in his later years, expressed tenuous regret over the HUAC testimony, is a pained figure in the book.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
But distaste was evident in their pained grins, and their eyes betrayed fresh apprehension of me.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pained
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Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The 25-year-old laughed off the results as a pained truth of now being in his seventh season in the NBA.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
Robinson, who, in his later years, expressed tenuous regret over the HUAC testimony, is a pained figure in the book.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
But distaste was evident in their pained grins, and their eyes betrayed fresh apprehension of me.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pained
Cite this Entry
“Pained.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pained. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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