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
-
Unfortunately, his reward for such an achievement was a sore elbow — and a Lakers loss.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Designed to help puppies through the teething phase, the textured surface is great for relieving sore gums.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Engineers have long searched for efficient electric alternatives that can survive the harsh conditions inside industrial systems.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Critics say the danger faced by agents whose names are made public is overblown, almost always limited to harsh and violent words lobbed from behind a laptop or phone screen.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
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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
-
The break was long and torturous for fans but clearly restorative for Styles, who lolled in the Italian countryside with Alessandro Michele, bonded with a new niece, and found himself unassumingly among the masses in the Vatican when the conclave elected Pope Leo XIV last June.—
Michelle Ruiz,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2026
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After a torturous 2025 season that featured one of the worst team pitching performances in major league history, the pitching think tank was overhauled.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
-
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
-
When that might happen is highly uncertain, and completely up to Guthrie, given this month’s agonizing and all-consuming search for her mother Nancy.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
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Like many founders before me, the decision was agonizing.—
David Yi,
Allure,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
During that window, sour and bitter foods can taste sweet, making meals more tolerable.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
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The concept was revived by Olympic officials and the United Nations in the early 1990s, as bitter conflicts raged in the Balkans.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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