painful

adjective

pain·​ful ˈpān-fəl 

painfuller ˈpān-fə-lər  ; painfullest

1

a

: feeling or giving pain

a painful injury

b

: irksome, annoying

2

: requiring effort or exertion

a long painful trip

3

archaic : careful, diligent

painfully

ˈpān-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

painfulness

ˈpān-fəl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of painful

• sore
• aching
• hurting

Examples of painful in a Sentence

I got a painful sunburn.

We can't ignore our country's painful history of slavery.

His questions brought up a lot of painful memories.

It was painful to watch.

Recent Examples on the Web

One of the happy accidents that occurred as a result of not getting a pickup, which was very painful in 2005, was the opportunity to come back in 2014 and look at a much bigger picture. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 22 Mar. 2026

UConn ended Boston College’s hockey season in the most painful of ways on Friday at the Garden in the Hockey East semifinal. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026

In cases like Munster’s, where the sole purpose of going into menopause is to reduce the estrogen fueling a painful condition, adding back hormones with HT could counteract the potential benefit. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 20 Mar. 2026

The show’s cringe comedy was trendsetting, too — the image of Valerie voting in a cupcake outfit is more exquisitely painful to behold than anything on The Office — and perhaps because of its acid tone, it wasn’t picked up for a second season by HBO. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing painful

• painful to the touch

Rhymes for painful

• gainful
• disdainful

Kids Definition

painful

adjective

pain·​ful ˈpān-fəl 

: feeling or giving pain

painfully

-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

painfulness

-fəl-nəs 

noun

Medical Definition

painful

adjective

pain·​ful ˈpān-fəl 

painfuller -fə-lər  ; painfullest

: feeling or giving pain

painfully

-f(ə-)lē 

adverb