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
There’s no time to get your bearings; an EDM drop smashes everything to pieces, then a pained voice croons in the rubble while drunkenly mashing a detuned guitar.
—
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
The women prayed, then waited in pained silence for twenty minutes.
—Joshua Sharpe
august 6, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025
Ben Affleck makes the most dour Batman imaginable; Cavill is forced to spend much of the movie looking noble and pained.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 July 2025
The increasingly obvious awfulness of Dave’s book gives Smollett some great reaction work amid all Michelle’s pained determination.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pained
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Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
The women prayed, then waited in pained silence for twenty minutes.
—Joshua Sharpe
august 6, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025
Ben Affleck makes the most dour Batman imaginable; Cavill is forced to spend much of the movie looking noble and pained.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 July 2025
The increasingly obvious awfulness of Dave’s book gives Smollett some great reaction work amid all Michelle’s pained determination.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pained
Cite this Entry
“Pained.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pained. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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