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

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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

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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 Voters from Pennsylvania to California describe painful choices at the pump and grocery store, with many blaming Republicans and shifting toward Democratic candidates in some of the nation’s tightest House and Senate races. — Mike Catalini, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026 The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a new medicine from Roivant and its subsidiary Priovant for the treatment of dermatomyositis, a rare autoimmune disease characterized by muscle weakness and a painful skin rash. — Adam Feuerstein, STAT, 27 Aug. 2026 Kygo's death is particularly painful because the dog was preparing for a major change. — Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 Part of that is because the process to get a pro bono lawyer can be time-consuming and emotionally draining – calling several different groups, telling a painful story over and over, often only to be told to call someone else. — Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for painful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful

Adjective

But bring up the sore subject, and his eyes narrow, the jaw squares.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2026
Everyone is banged up at this point in the season, particularly Willson Contreras, who’s been battling a sore hamstring but trying to stay on the field.

— Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of sore

Adjective

Scott London Every year, Black Rock City appears on a dry lakebed in one of Nevada’s harshest areas, then disappears just as fast.

— Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Hig has bunkered down with a grouchy companion, Bangley (Josh Brolin), who thrives in this harsh world.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 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

Success can feel like a cruel tease, fleetingly unattainable and yet when finally achieved, too dangerous to enjoy too long.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
If Russia behaved badly, that was the fault of its primitive and cruel Asian side, a notion that conveniently created the fiction that Western countries are not capable of similar cruelty.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

Brooks has described applying for compensation as torturous, a barricade that is constantly preventing him from being able to move forward.

— Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 6 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of torturous

Adjective

The pain seemed excruciating, with the Morocco international taken off on a stretcher holding his shirt over his face.

— Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
The threat to major oil companies that employ up to 100,000 workers must have been excruciating until vaccines eventually appeared to stem the tide.

— Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of excruciating

Adjective

Others are stretched across agonizing stretches of silence while Barrett lets an audience stare into the darkness and imagine every horrible possibility before finally springing the trap.

— Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Damage to the remains could complicate evidence The discovery of human remains that set off a firestorm of questions about a possible link to Guthrie developed during an agonizing, monthslong search for the beloved mother.

— Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of agonizing

Adjective

Thin-shelled yet not overly delicate, stuffed with amarena cherry-scented light ricotta bookended by bitter dark chocolate chips.

— The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026
Today’s recipe Chef David Tanis’ recipe for Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad With Bitter Lettuces has a nice combination of sweet and bitter.

— Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of bitter

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“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of painful

adjective

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