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 gallery business is unquestionably going through a painful period of retrenchment. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2026 The loss was especially painful because Aaliyah appeared to be entering the most exciting chapter of her career. — Desjah Altvater, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 These include anxiety, emotional distress, resurfacing of painful memories and dissociation – feeling detached from oneself or one’s surroundings. — Ronald S. Green, The Conversation, 16 July 2026 And indeed the work itself was simultaneously ecstatic and painful. — Josh Penn Soskin, Variety, 16 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for painful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful

Adjective

The budget resolution has a top line of $95 billion in spending, and does not include instructions for offsets, a sore point for fiscal hawks who oppose spending without budgetary cuts to reduce spending levels.

— Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 17 July 2026
And guests can treat sore muscles and recover with massages and beauty treatments in Ember Lily Spa, located next door.

— Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 16 July 2026

Definition of sore

Adjective

The couple made sure the design included a basement where the kids could spend time, better insulation to handle South Dakota’s harsh weather and plenty of storage — all features their previous home lacked.

— Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
Those are some of the harsh conditions that detainees in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody described experiencing in recent weeks at the Federal Detention Center, a Bureau of Prisons facility located in a concrete tower in downtown Miami.

— Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 18 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

But in one of the cruelest ironies in rock history, Berry suffered a devastating car crash not far from the actual Dead Man’s Curve in Los Angeles on April 12, 1966.

— Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 19 July 2026
In the face of climate change, such woo woo aphorisms seem ridiculous, naive, and cruel.

— Josh Fox, IndieWire, 17 July 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

In theaters July 17, The Odyssey tells the story of Greek hero Odysseus’ long, torturous and fantastical trip home from the Trojan War, back to the Kingdom of Ithaca to save his wife and son.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026
As part of her job, Angèle needs to daub makeup on the models’ feet, blistered from the torturous heels they’re forced to wear.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 26 June 2026

Definition of torturous

Adjective

Writers tend to find this process—reducing a complex, nuanced work of art down to a tidy cartoon version of itself—excruciating.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
But dropping somebody in a Jacuzzi will cause excruciating pain and can even trigger a heart attack.

— Tim MacWelch, Outdoor Life, 15 July 2026

Definition of excruciating

Adjective

The agonizing legal circus surrounding Sumner Redstone’s final years at Paramount/Viacom is a sobering cautionary tale.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 July 2026
After several agonizing days, the city fell, and the Dutch UN peacekeeping forces helped separate the women from the men and boys.

— Janine di Giovanni, Vanity Fair, 3 July 2026

Definition of agonizing

Adjective

More than a month into the start of the tournament, one Italian friend still feels bitter over the fate of his beloved Azzurri, who didn’t qualify this year.

— Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
Sutton’s bitter lesson is applicable to biology because so much of the human body — not just the mind — is still beyond our understanding.

— Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of bitter

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“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of painful

adjective

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