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
As a result, the model can detect a painful stimulus, but doesn't produce an emotional response, Pasca says.
—
Jon Hamilton, NPR, 10 Apr. 2025
At the same time, the Chinese economy is facing the prospect of a painful divorce from its biggest trading partner, which buys more than $400 billion worth of goods each year, as the country is reeling from a property market collapse and sluggish consumer confidence.
—Daisuke Wakabayashi, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
It's been so incredibly painful.
—Emily Krauser, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Some analysts even expect the new tariff policy to be just as economically painful.
—Time, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for painful
Jon Hamilton, NPR, 10 Apr. 2025
At the same time, the Chinese economy is facing the prospect of a painful divorce from its biggest trading partner, which buys more than $400 billion worth of goods each year, as the country is reeling from a property market collapse and sluggish consumer confidence.
—Daisuke Wakabayashi, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
It's been so incredibly painful.
—Emily Krauser, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Some analysts even expect the new tariff policy to be just as economically painful.
—Time, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for painful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful
Adjective
-
Middleton was said to be extremely sore the past few days, but considering what could have happened when Bo Horvat pushed him from behind so far from the boards, that’s relatively good news.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
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Power forward Aaron Gordon was also questionable with an illness and a sore right calf.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Fancy Homi Body Lumbar $20 Amazon Corduroy is an excellent way to soften otherwise rigid-looking furniture with too many harsh lines.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
14 Mar. 2025
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In true Captain America fashion, Mackie has always protected his children from the harsh microscope that comes with global stardom.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
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
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In this novel about the shape-shifting nature of love, Parsons captures Kit’s grief in aching and honest terms.—
Annabel Gutterman,
TIME,
6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Everybody else has no choice, really, other than to bring a cruel, narcissistic far-right leader to power.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2025
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The cruelest part is that the good ones are mixed with the bad ones.—
Matt Rivers,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Pair this struggle with the painstaking awareness that sleep is essential for your daily functioning, and sleep deprivation can quickly become maddening — or even torturous.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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But the stubborn Pharaoh continued his torturous ways.—
Holly Rizzuto Palker,
Parents,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection The pressure doing the show was excruciating.—
Mark Seliger,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2025
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After a bout of excruciating indecision, Bachelor Grant Ellis finally made his choice between Litia and Juliana in the season 29 finale.—
Kristen Baldwin,
EW.com,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Their injuries are stomach-turning, their cries agonizing.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
11 Apr. 2025
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Sharp couldn’t touch the ball again without a double-dribble being called and the ball bounced three agonizing times with no one else able to make it to the loose ball to get a shot off.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The premise— about of the making of a fictional Marilyn musical named Bombshell — is the same, but gone are most of the show's characters and the overall premise of the bitter feud between two women vying for the title part.—
Dave Quinn,
People.com,
12 Apr. 2025
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The premise of the making of a Marilyn musical is the same, but gone are most of the show's characters and the overall premise of the bitter feud between two women vying for the title party.—
Dave Quinn,
People.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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