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
Even clear defensive reactions to painful stimuli were considered to be mere reflexes.
—
Christian Wolf, Scientific American, 25 June 2025
Other setbacks, while less painful, were no less sorrowful.
—David Litt
june 25, Literary Hub, 25 June 2025
Trump’s imposition of hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs threw a wrench into the Fed’s efforts to bring interest rates down following the painful fight against postpandemic inflation.
—Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 25 June 2025
Such shoes for flat feet give them enough room to splay out in the shoes, without causing painful rubbing on your toes and the sides of your feet.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for painful
Christian Wolf, Scientific American, 25 June 2025
Other setbacks, while less painful, were no less sorrowful.
—David Litt
june 25, Literary Hub, 25 June 2025
Trump’s imposition of hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs threw a wrench into the Fed’s efforts to bring interest rates down following the painful fight against postpandemic inflation.
—Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 25 June 2025
Such shoes for flat feet give them enough room to splay out in the shoes, without causing painful rubbing on your toes and the sides of your feet.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for painful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful
Adjective
-
The spa menu boasts a long list of bodywork treatments options, including the fire & ice massage, which soothes sore muscles with a combination of hot stones and cooling recovery balm, facials and body scrubs using ingredients from the forest, and a fireside massage package for two.—
Elizabeth Brownfield,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
-
In a picturesque suburban neighborhood, the ashen structure sticks out like a sore thumb.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
Come spring, the Ranger III carries everything from outhouses and diesel fuel for the generators to construction supplies to repair whatever damage Mother Nature did to facilities over the harsh winter.—
Diana Lambdin Meyer,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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Yet the harshest critic is often the one in the mirror.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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Indeed, Macron has zipped furiously across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia all year, negotiating deals on climate, trade, military assistance, and peace, some of it in an effort to fill an aching vacuum left by Washington.—
Vivienne Walt,
Time,
10 June 2025
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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
Adjective
-
What is a totalitarian leader other than an individualist taking that creed to its cruel conclusions, erasing the uniqueness of every other person into mere characters in a drama?—
Ed Simon
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
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That first leg ended 1-0 — a slim aggregate lead — and in the second leg back on Kiwi soil, the Australians won 2-0 with one of their goals a cruel deflection.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
Adjective
-
Atletico only made three interceptions (PSG had 12), which was partly Diego Simeone’s game plan, but also proof of just how torturous PSG are to defend against.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
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Included in that torturous run was a 24-game losing streak.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
1 June 2025
Adjective
-
After cutting edge surgery Angela Sutphin is without excruciating pain in her right arm and can get a full night’s sleep.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
20 June 2025
-
The disease, which has no cure, is known to cause excruciating pain and fatigue, and can lead to serious complications, including strokes, lung problems and organ damage.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Watching Spencer unravel and knowing Toby was playing this double agent game was agonizing.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2025
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As recognition of Bechdel’s talents grew, her methods became more laborious, her subject matter more agonizing.—
Charlie Tyson,
New Yorker,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
But the two mainstays of the game are far from bitter rivals.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
27 June 2025
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Pashinyan was the focus of protests last year by tens of thousands of demonstrators after Armenia agreed to hand over control of several border villages to Azerbaijan and to normalize relations between the neighbors and bitter rivals.—
Avet Demourian,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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