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
These longstanding principles were developed over the course of many decades and consider lessons learned from painful events such as the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters.
—
Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
One of the most painful complications of mumps is orchitis, or swelling of the testicles, which can harm fertility.
—Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2026
The longer the conflict goes on and the longer global oil and gas supply is restricted, the more painful price pressures will become.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
So why not make the wait a little less painful with this Lego Marvel Iron Spider-Man model?
—Chris McMullen, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for painful
Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
One of the most painful complications of mumps is orchitis, or swelling of the testicles, which can harm fertility.
—Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2026
The longer the conflict goes on and the longer global oil and gas supply is restricted, the more painful price pressures will become.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
So why not make the wait a little less painful with this Lego Marvel Iron Spider-Man model?
—Chris McMullen, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for painful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful
Adjective
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Similarly, the Polar Loop blends right in at the gym but sticks out like a sore thumb when paired with a fancy outfit for a night on the town.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
10 Mar. 2026
-
My thumb is sore from all the scrolling and refreshing.—
Ted Nguyen,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Senegal 's parliament has approved a new bill that toughens punishment for homosexuality in the largely Muslim West African nation, the latest African country to impose harsh penalties against the LGBTQ+ community.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
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Audrey Sterk of Audrey Sterk Design teamed up with Chip Webster Architecture and Reid Builders to use durable composite countertops and weather-resistant cabinetry to ensure this outdoor kitchen will last, even in this harsh island environment.—
Megan Johnson,
Architectural Digest,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The dramatic and aching second movement, according to Egarr, may have been a love letter to one of Beethoven’s romantic interests.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
21 Feb. 2026
-
And no matter what the ultimate tally, every individual is an aching, terrible loss.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That’s the cruel beauty of golf.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Few Iranians will mourn the demise of the cruel and murderous Ayatollah Khamenei or his cohorts, and a large segment of Iranians want the corrupt religious regime gone.—
Trudy Rubin,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But those torturous years groomed an expert technician.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The point is that in a pinch, Apple’s low-cost MacBook can handle its share of work without slowing to a crawl or feeling torturous to deal with.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
After a fall-off in the early half of the 2024-25 season, that plan appeared to be realigning properly when the Blues made a run into the playoffs after the 4 Nations Face-Off, even with their excruciating first-round loss to the Winnipeg Jets.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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The baby’s head was stuck and Nelson was in excruciating pain, so her husband insisted on a hospital transfer.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Anyone who followed that series on a weekly basis knows how agonizing those cliffhangers could be.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Mar. 2026
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That's agonizing for families who have to split up while waiting for the heart and during the weeks and months after the transplant.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
While the loss of Showmax was a bitter pill to swallow, there were calls throughout the week for more partnerships, more collaborations, more efforts to unlock cross-border revenue streams in everything from theatrical to free-to-air broadcasting to the booming diaspora market.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
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Eric Musselman sat behind a microphone at the bitter end of a bitter regular season for USC, armed only with the same explanations for how a once-hopeful season could come so undone.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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