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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of painful
Kidney stones smaller than a quarter inch often pass on their own, but drinking plenty of water and some home remedies can make the process easier and less painful.
—
Md Published, Verywell Health, 20 Oct. 2025
Years later, as adults, a tragedy forces Do Ha to reveal a painful truth to Ha Gyeong after losing touch with her.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
Over the next six weeks, the lump grew significantly and was also becoming painful.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Rose Glass' directorial debut is an ecclesiastical horror that offsets the fine line between devotion and delusion, all while stirring the painful emotions of loneliness and trauma.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for painful
Md Published, Verywell Health, 20 Oct. 2025
Years later, as adults, a tragedy forces Do Ha to reveal a painful truth to Ha Gyeong after losing touch with her.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
Over the next six weeks, the lump grew significantly and was also becoming painful.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Rose Glass' directorial debut is an ecclesiastical horror that offsets the fine line between devotion and delusion, all while stirring the painful emotions of loneliness and trauma.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for painful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful
Adjective
-
And then, sticking out like a sore thumb amidst all these names, is Mamukelashvili.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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The cool temperature may also soothe sore gums.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
According to the woman, her parents’ reasoning for denying her requests was rooted in a harsh lesson about independence.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Instead of buying special cleaners or reaching for harsh chemicals to clean around your home, look to your medicine cabinet for a solution.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In this aching, unorthodox historical drama, Davies tells the story of the pacifist poet and veteran Siegfried Sassoon, whose experiences fighting in the First World War forever transformed him.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
5 Aug. 2025
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Braxton shares an aching need to be vulnerable only to realize by album’s end that such unions can result in horrible betrayal, her words of lament surrounded by swelling, lush orchestration.—
Clarence A. Haynes
July 3,
Literary Hub,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
In Pahani’s 2006 award-winning comedy Offside, about the cruel cultural chains binding Iranian women, a group of young women attempt to gain entry to a stadium to watch a World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Japan.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
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There is no reason to be cruel to people.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Hiking through the deep snow drifts above 26,000 feet is torturous and time consuming.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
8 Oct. 2025
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Bertino’s chamber piece unfolds over one torturous night and will be exclusive to Paramount’s streaming platform following its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in September.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Exposure to light was excruciating.—
Holly Burns,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
-
For humans, crystalline buildups in the body manifest as excruciating shards in joints—a condition known as gout—or as kidney stones in the urinary tract.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Bulldogs have just lost them in agonizing fashion.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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This isn’t to say writer and director Mary Bronstein’s film, about the agonizing deterioration of a woman whose life is falling down around her in near-apocalyptic fashion, isn’t worth watching.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Remove a thin piece of peel from a lemon (for rye) or orange (for bourbon), getting as little of the bitter white pith as possible; hold the peel between your fingers with the outside facing the top of the drink and pinch slightly to express the citrus oils over the top.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
25 Oct. 2025
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Washington State is back on home soil for the first time in more than a month, having been on the road since suffering a heavy defeat to bitter rival Washington in the Apple Cup back in September.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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