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
But distaste was evident in their pained grins, and their eyes betrayed fresh apprehension of me.
—
Jeff Spry, Space.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The Vice-President seemed pained, like someone was twisting his arm.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026
The latter scene is captured in tight close-up as director Jon M. Chu trains the camera on Grande’s face, which oscillates between heartbreak, anger and pained resignation.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 24 Nov. 2025
The educator, who appeared pale in the body-camera footage with a pained expression on her face, is seen carried out on a stretcher.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pained
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Jeff Spry, Space.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The Vice-President seemed pained, like someone was twisting his arm.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026
The latter scene is captured in tight close-up as director Jon M. Chu trains the camera on Grande’s face, which oscillates between heartbreak, anger and pained resignation.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 24 Nov. 2025
The educator, who appeared pale in the body-camera footage with a pained expression on her face, is seen carried out on a stretcher.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 31 Oct. 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 2 Feb. 2026.
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