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
Jerry Gurwitz, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2026
After a whole season exploring the pains of being an illegitimate child and fears of pregnancy, Sophie and Benedict are now free to have children that would be welcomed warmly into society.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
When the body feels stress, your heart rate and blood pressure jump, stress chemicals rise, and the brain may turn pain down for a moment.
—Dayanne S. Antonio, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pain
Noun
For example, stopping certain sleep medications can reduce confusion and daytime drowsiness, and limiting or avoiding use of opioids for pain relief can prevent debilitating constipation.
—Jerry Gurwitz, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2026
After a whole season exploring the pains of being an illegitimate child and fears of pregnancy, Sophie and Benedict are now free to have children that would be welcomed warmly into society.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
All reporting around the deal indicated that Dončić never planned to leave Dallas, and his emotional return to Texas in April indicated that the pain of the surprise move still pained him.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
When the body feels stress, your heart rate and blood pressure jump, stress chemicals rise, and the brain may turn pain down for a moment.
—Dayanne S. Antonio, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pain
Noun
-
Symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain, body aches, headache and fever.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Based on a novel by Sally Rooney, the show captures the quiet ache of two people drawn to each other despite the obstacles that keep pulling them apart.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
How did WalletHub determine financial distress?—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Employees expressed their distress about the mass layoffs on social media platforms such as Reddit.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Its name honors Elba, a former owner known for tending the garden with care and devotion.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Housing and child care in particular are largely unavailable and unaffordable.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But that doesn’t mean those who fall short of the mark are doomed to a lifetime of work.—
Brian Baker CFA,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Fleming’s work is a hyperspecific, manic, digressive observational comedy buried inside a cloud of performance-art strangeness.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Broadway was also found to have violated probation on three occasions, stemming from his conviction on a Level 6 felony of maintaining a common nuisance and drug possession from his arrest in June 2024.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Excessively loud vehicles has become a common nuisance across Austin, but a group of West Austin neighbors have pushed the city to take action.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Let’s face it, having Luka Doncic doesn’t hurt at all.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
25 Feb. 2026
-
There also are persistent fears that tariffs stoked higher prices, which could eventually hurt the economy and job creation.—
Will Weissert,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The album’s Bandcamp blurb shouts out Ghédalia Tarzatès, the late French composer who collaged his wails and lamentations in the endangered Ladino language to evoke pangs of existential angst.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
6 Feb. 2026
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Everyone’s blood sugar levels sporadically spike, and that’s normal, but keeping it steady helps prevent energy crashes, hunger pangs, and mood swings, Dardarian says.—
Julia Ries Wexler,
Outside,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But Open, Heaven also courses with youth’s great agony, the cruelty that learning to love should be inexorably followed by learning to grieve its undoing.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The biggest indication yet that Konstantinos Mavropanos’ stock is at an all-time high was the sudden silence around the London Stadium when the defender was seen holding his right knee in agony.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pain. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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