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
Marin County, California—watery and remote—is the setting as Finney and Keaton hurtle from pained resentment to jealousy, lust, and violent anger.
—
Marley Marius, Vogue, 30 Apr. 2025
Oldman’s face, set in brooding concentration, evokes a pained, vaguely incredulous mortification, which builds to a bitter, almost paralyzing ruefulness.
—Houman Barekat, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Nyoni’s film is thus the story of an unusually pained homecoming, of terrible memories confronted.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2025
During the address, Trump clashed with Democrats, and Democrats showed an extraordinary display of disruptions, protests and pained expressions throughout the night.
—Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pained
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Marley Marius, Vogue, 30 Apr. 2025
Oldman’s face, set in brooding concentration, evokes a pained, vaguely incredulous mortification, which builds to a bitter, almost paralyzing ruefulness.
—Houman Barekat, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Nyoni’s film is thus the story of an unusually pained homecoming, of terrible memories confronted.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2025
During the address, Trump clashed with Democrats, and Democrats showed an extraordinary display of disruptions, protests and pained expressions throughout the night.
—Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 5 Mar. 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 25 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share