pained

adjective

ˈpānd 

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

Just as the young woman is set to return to her hometown following the end of her postgraduate studies, a girl’s body is discovered there, unravelling painful memories of past trauma and sending Sofia through a pained process of self-reflection. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 9 July 2026

Sunday night, Mexican Americans said no más to our pained past. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Others, pained and visibly annoyed, force the issue. — Joseph Trinidad, Longreads, 16 June 2026

Rebecca Hall is an incredible horror heroine, turning in phenomenally spooky and pained performances in The Night House and Resurrection. — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 12 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pained

• abstained
• arraigned
• attained
• bloodstained
• campaigned
• complained
• constrained
• contained
• curtained
• detained
• disdained
• distrained