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
Relevance
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of painful
Their echo reverberates, the force of each choke conjuring a frame in painful contraction.
—
Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
But that road can be longer when an ailment isn’t as visible—a string of mysterious stomachaches or sporadic painful migraines are more difficult to explain.
—Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2026
The painful but strategically correct decision was to abandon the Philippine Islands.
—Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
What makes this more painful and truthful?
—Kennedy French, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for painful
Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
But that road can be longer when an ailment isn’t as visible—a string of mysterious stomachaches or sporadic painful migraines are more difficult to explain.
—Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2026
The painful but strategically correct decision was to abandon the Philippine Islands.
—Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
What makes this more painful and truthful?
—Kennedy French, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for painful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful
Adjective
-
But eliminating the ban has hit a sore spot with environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts.—
Todd Richmond,
Twin Cities,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Power forward LeBron James was out for the Lakers that night due to a sore left ankle and foot, according to a game recap.—
Doha Madani,
NBC news,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Even in the harshest descriptions of the violence and almost unbelievably cruel twists of fate that Yarris endured (the DNA testing keeps getting accidentally mucked up), Brody lends him a vital indomitable spark.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
-
When the camera's weren't rolling, McCracken says, Couric gave some harsh advice.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain (1997) Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain is an aching, tender slow burn shaped by absence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Dahl’s books are fanciful and imaginative, but also dark, cynical, and mean (and, unfortunately, often reflected his real-life ugliness), spinning stories in which gruesome and unpleasant fates befell rotten kids, and adults were frequently selfish, cruel, and not to be trusted.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Violating that trust is both cruel and unlawful.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Activists claim the animals were living in torturous conditions and were being used for medical research.—
Brady Halbleib,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
-
But sad books need not be torturous books.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Some were in excruciating pain.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Biff shouts at him at the show’s excruciating climax) sways between light and dark, between the road and the deadly shoulder, advancing through his last hours on earth as if through the stations of the cross.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Democrats, who have run the state for years, are publicly agonizing over the possibility they may be shut out of the general election in November.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Marketing executive Mathew Evins lived with chronic back pain for eight agonizing years.—
Susan Spencer,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The death toll is now declining after years of bitter experience.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The bitter war led to a match Sunday night at WrestleMania 42.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
