1
as in sore
causing or feeling bodily pain
a very painful toothache her broken arm was too painful for her to go on the trip
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in harsh
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
it's been very painful to accept that my father is gone forever
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of painful
Reportedly, the Queen has been warned against painful surgery to remove bunions.
—
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 15 June 2025
The final 2:58 was a painful stretch for a team that controlled so much of Games 3 and 4.
—Tony East, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
Burnett went and introduced his films, an experience that was both joyous and painful.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 June 2025
For millions of Americans, the road to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is slow and painful, sought only when symptoms become unmistakable.
—Louise Jacobsen Fisher, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for painful
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 15 June 2025
The final 2:58 was a painful stretch for a team that controlled so much of Games 3 and 4.
—Tony East, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
Burnett went and introduced his films, an experience that was both joyous and painful.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 June 2025
For millions of Americans, the road to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is slow and painful, sought only when symptoms become unmistakable.
—Louise Jacobsen Fisher, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for painful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful
Adjective
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The spa menu boasts a long list of bodywork treatments options, including the fire & ice massage, which soothes sore muscles with a combination of hot stones and cooling recovery balm, facials and body scrubs using ingredients from the forest, and a fireside massage package for two.—
Elizabeth Brownfield,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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In a picturesque suburban neighborhood, the ashen structure sticks out like a sore thumb.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
Some of them include washing with harsh shampoos, particularly those with sulfates or alcohol; overusing scalp scrubs or clarifying products; and not washing frequently enough.—
Jamie Wilson,
Glamour,
16 June 2025
-
Unlike many traditional sunscreens that contain oxybenzone and octinoxate—two common culprits behind coral bleaching—reef-safe formulas skip the harsh stuff in favor of ocean-friendly alternatives that tend to also be gentler on sensitive skin.—
Iman Balagam,
Vogue,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
Indeed, Macron has zipped furiously across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia all year, negotiating deals on climate, trade, military assistance, and peace, some of it in an effort to fill an aching vacuum left by Washington.—
Vivienne Walt,
Time,
10 June 2025
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Somebody Somewhere is tiny: a gorgeous, introspective, intimate story about a woman with devastatingly mundane problems whose chief obstacle is her own aching sense of grief and dislocation.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
What is a totalitarian leader other than an individualist taking that creed to its cruel conclusions, erasing the uniqueness of every other person into mere characters in a drama?—
Ed Simon
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
-
That first leg ended 1-0 — a slim aggregate lead — and in the second leg back on Kiwi soil, the Australians won 2-0 with one of their goals a cruel deflection.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
Adjective
-
Atletico only made three interceptions (PSG had 12), which was partly Diego Simeone’s game plan, but also proof of just how torturous PSG are to defend against.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
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Included in that torturous run was a 24-game losing streak.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
1 June 2025
Adjective
-
Anderson won his first of his record 23 races in 2005 and broke his ankle in the celebrations, but the excruciating pain and eight weeks in a cast didn’t put him off.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
25 May 2025
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This became even more imposing when, toward the end of Game Four—another one that the Knicks seemed poised to win—the Celtics star Jayson Tatum suffered an excruciating injury to his Achilles tendon and crumpled onto the hardwood, howling in pain.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
An agonizing and eventful 42 minutes later, elation erupted throughout the century-old ballpark as rookie catcher Carlos Narváez clocked a single off the wall for a 2-1 walk-off win for the Red Sox in the 10th inning.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
14 June 2025
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An alligator that narrowly escaped poachers in Florida was left in an agonizing predicament when a cord cinched to its head began slicing off its nose, a YouTube video shows.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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But the fascination of the early days was gone, and more often than not their time together devolved into bitter spats.—
Mark Polizzoti
June 16,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
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Lips can get a bit of color too, via RMS Beauty’s Legendary Lip Oil packed with adaptogenic herbs, jojoba oil, vanilla extract, and bitter cherry seed oil to condition the pout.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
16 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.
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