1
as in ache
a sharp unpleasant sensation usually felt in some specific part of the body
the child was crying because of a pain in her knee
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
a sprained ankle caused him great pain for a week
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in care
pains plural
strict attentiveness to what one is doing
asked the movers to take pains to be sure that they didn't damage anything while moving the furniture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in work
pains plural
the active use of energy in producing a result
she was at pains to reassure us that everything would be fine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in nuisance
one who is obnoxiously annoying
sometimes that child, who apparently never tires of asking questions, can be such a pain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pain
Terry Collins, USA Today, 13 June 2025
The story of what happened in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016, began with gunshots, pain and terror.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2025
David Pierson, New York Times, 10 May 2025
The brutal coincidence for the Cavs on Tuesday night: While Haliburton fought through injury to be the hero, Cleveland was missing three of its key players to pain tolerance injuries.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pain
Noun
Demographics of Los Angeles show its a fertile ground for anti-ICE protests
Palpable fear and pain
On the same day Hernandez shared his grief with USA TODAY, 700 U.S. Marines arrived in Los Angeles.
—Terry Collins, USA Today, 13 June 2025
The story of what happened in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016, began with gunshots, pain and terror.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2025
Verb
Things got worse after the emergence of Covid, which ground global trade to a halt and exposed how much the United States, and the rest of the world, needed China for everything from surgical masks to pain medicines.
—David Pierson, New York Times, 10 May 2025
The brutal coincidence for the Cavs on Tuesday night: While Haliburton fought through injury to be the hero, Cleveland was missing three of its key players to pain tolerance injuries.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pain
Noun
-
This potting bench can help reduce aches and pains by providing a comfortable, standing-height surface for tasks like transplanting and mixing soil.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 June 2025
-
These comfort-forward essentials are designed to minimize aches, maximize rest and help any traveler arrive feeling more refreshed than rumpled.—
Jill Schildhouse,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
Noun
-
To add insult to injury, distress at work has been linked to a decrease in innovative work behavior, meaning all that destructive stress ultimately may yield less inspiring work.—
Drew Gerber,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
-
The Tennessee law, like Idaho’s, centers on medical care for transgender youth that addresses gender dysphoria, or feelings of distress when a person’s body or presentation doesn’t match their gender identity.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
19 June 2025
Noun
-
But for one white horse, true happiness looks a little different—flat on its side, sound asleep, and snoring without a care in the world.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
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Pet the gentle animals, learn about their care, and shop for ultra-soft alpaca fleece products, like socks, gloves, and scarves.—
Erin Gifford,
Southern Living,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
There’s a deep yearning and caring at work here that is the film’s idiosyncratic strength, but also may be its weakness, plausibility-wise.—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
13 June 2025
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The House narrowly voted Thursday to cut about $9.4 billion in spending already approved by Congress as President Donald Trump's administration looks to follow through on work done by the Department of Government Efficiency when it was overseen by Elon Musk.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
An American Werewolf in London' (1981) American dudes backpacking in England get attacked by a werewolf, one of them becomes a beastly nuisance on the full moon, and things get bloody freaky in old London Town.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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In the longer term, the City Council would do well to reconsider enacting a city nuisance ordinance that would punish anyone rioting, looting, obstructing the public way, disrupting traffic, physically assaulting a police officer or even publicly calling for such behavior.—
Paul Vallas,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2025
Verb
-
So giving Luis Campusano a start — finally — can’t hurt a whole lot.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 June 2025
-
Clark got hurt at the end of that game and hasn’t suited up since.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
14 June 2025
Noun
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Even though diet culture often frames snacking as a negative—an unbridled act of gluttony at best, and a sign of moral weakness at worst—reaching for an edible pick-me-up when the hunger pangs hit is the most natural thing in the world.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
6 June 2025
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In fact, no other fixture in Latin America symbolizes so intensely the visceral and contradictory pangs many people feel toward the U.S. than the Panama Canal.—
Whitney Eulich,
Christian Science Monitor,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
And that gave him some kind of legitimacy after 40 years of agony, derided by the music press.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2025
-
For more than a year, the Perry family waited in agony for answers.—
Christina Coulter,
People.com,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pain. Accessed 24 Jun. 2025.
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