PAINFUL Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

painful

adjective

ˈpān-fəl

Definition of painful

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

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 The resulting backlash is almost predictable, sometimes reversing the decision and sometimes merely prolonging the painful end. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 23 July 2026 The drugs themselves can have severe side effects, such as hair loss and cracking, painful, dry skin. — Susanne Rust follow, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026 But when actually committed to screen, Stuart Fails is painful at nearly every turn, a grim death march through a series of overworn jokes and wall-spaghetti plotting made even less fun with each smugly metafictional turn. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 23 July 2026 One of the more painful parts of the break with the West for Russians has been their country’s exile from international sports competition. — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for painful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful

Adjective

What’s actually opening (and what’s gone) The 300 block of Houston Street, long a sore spot after Reata Restaurant left for the Tower in 2024, may soon show signs of life.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 July 2026
But don’t let a sore back prevent you from tackling this gardening task.

— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 25 July 2026

Definition of sore

Adjective

But some have pushed back on the idea that the threat of harsh legal punishment could prevent the gatherings in the first place.

— Safiyah Riddle, Fortune, 25 July 2026
Even if it's erased later, everyone now knows it can be drawn again, along the same criteria or something harsher, and that no one outside Washington controls where that line lands next.

— Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026

Definition of harsh

Adjective

The homestretch of the drama, however, takes the story in a chilling direction, packing an aching quantity of feeling into a single glance at a security camera as someone climbs into a car and leaves the compound, never to be heard from again.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2026
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

Definition of aching

Adjective

Gomez has endured a lengthy list of cruel setbacks during his 11-year Liverpool career and faces a wait to learn the extent of his latest injury.

— James Pearce, New York Times, 26 July 2026
Obsessed with recovering her fortune, Magdalen’s uses of disguise and performance become manipulative, treacherous, and even cruel.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 July 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

From 1873 to 1991, the island served as Costa Rica’s principal penitentiary, where some of the country’s worst criminals were sent to serve often short and torturous sentences.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 24 July 2026
Hellraiser introduced audiences to the mythology of the Lament Configuration puzzle box, the home to a dimensional portal inhabited by the ritualistically torturous beings, the Cenobites, and their leader, the iconic Pinhead.

— Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026

Definition of torturous

Adjective

An infection that was left untreated was excruciating and fatal.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026
Joshua was discharged from hospital after two days but earlier this week his promoter Eddie Hearn told the BBC that in the early stages of his recovery, just a slight movement in bed would be excruciating pain for the boxer.

— Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 25 July 2026

Definition of excruciating

Adjective

But Semeru provides a crucial intimacy for Etna, whose experience of the war has been one of agonizing isolation.

— Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
Those looking to avoid an agonizing morning commute or a chaotic weekend trip to the city should steer clear of the following areas.

— Hannah Hudnall, USA Today, 30 July 2026

Definition of agonizing

Adjective

An Old Tom gin, with its softer profile and slight sweetness, can round out the drink but may also compromise the precise balance of bitter, sweet and dry that defines a true Negroni.

— Mark Littler, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Young grapes lack sugars that would otherwise bind with bitter-tasting phenols in wildfire smoke.

— Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 26 July 2026

Definition of bitter

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“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of painful

adjective

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