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
show current usage.
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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
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The report highlights research on young adults that shows that trans students who participate in collegiate sports are less likely to experience distress, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
-
That places an onerous burden on Henson, doing her considerable best trying to sustain a role whose Job-like travails crank the distress level to 11 too soon.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Under the plan, families earning $100,000 or less would pay nothing for child care starting in 2028, as it would be paid by the endowment, lawmakers said.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
8 June 2025
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The center provides counseling, drop-in respite care, and community resource navigation under its mental health program.—
Olivia Cyrus,
Sacbee.com,
8 June 2025
Noun
-
Leave a comment View Comments Staffers from some other VOA language services have also been called back to work.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
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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
Noun
-
The velocity of misinformation isn’t just a nuisance.—
Brent Gleeson,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Eating flaxseed might even ease menopausal symptoms, which—among its many other nuisances—can often include GI issues.—
Christina Pérez,
Vogue,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
May hurt millions The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 4.8 million people could become uninsured from this provision alone.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
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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But my heart – and stomach – no longer feel that pang of homesickness because this year, my husband figured out how to bring the crawfish boil to the Rocky Mountains, with help from the Louisiana Crawfish Company.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
19 May 2025
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Keeping Jesse at a distance, his face and other distinguishing features out of frame, allows the viewer to remember when Joel was able to come to Ellie’s aid, and seeing Jesse’s entrance from her vantage point provides a little pang of grief-tinged nostalgia.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
11 May 2025
Noun
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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 18 Jun. 2025.
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