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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of painful
Moncler's stock, which had traded buoyantly, reversed and gradually ended March with a painful 14.4% decline.
—
Ganesh Rao, CNBC, 3 June 2025
Photographer Ophélie Loubat tells the story of a woman who decides to have a baby alone, without a father, after years of medical struggles and painful relationships.
—The Dial, 3 June 2025
Next came the most painful part of the experience: the injectable anesthetics.
—Marie Lodi, Allure, 1 June 2025
This transition made this (retirement) a little less painful, more gradual.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for painful
Ganesh Rao, CNBC, 3 June 2025
Photographer Ophélie Loubat tells the story of a woman who decides to have a baby alone, without a father, after years of medical struggles and painful relationships.
—The Dial, 3 June 2025
Next came the most painful part of the experience: the injectable anesthetics.
—Marie Lodi, Allure, 1 June 2025
This transition made this (retirement) a little less painful, more gradual.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for painful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful
Adjective
-
The sore spot was red, swollen, and painful—and the boy and his mother had no idea what had caused it.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
22 May 2025
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The $10,000 cap was a sore spot for many taxpayers in high tax states.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
Of the treaty’s three American signers—John Adams, John Jay and Benjamin Franklin—Franklin was said to have taken the harshest line against the loyalists.—
Greg Daugherty,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 June 2025
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Instead of internalising every harsh comment, try reframing it as information about their inner world rather than a reflection of your worth.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
Somebody Somewhere is tiny: a gorgeous, introspective, intimate story about a woman with devastatingly mundane problems whose chief obstacle is her own aching sense of grief and dislocation.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
9 Dec. 2024
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In this novel about the shape-shifting nature of love, Parsons captures Kit’s grief in aching and honest terms.—
Annabel Gutterman,
TIME,
6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The reason Evin is infamous is because of its terribly cruel high security detention centers that are poorly supervised by the Prison Chief.—
Jeff Kaufman,
Time,
30 May 2025
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But then perhaps that is her unsatisfying but depressingly undeniable point: there is no challenging minds this small, behaviors this cruel, spirits this mean.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
In court proceedings in the years to follow, many of Gabriel’s family members, including his siblings Virginia and Ezequiel, testified about the torturous abuse the child experienced at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
People.com,
24 May 2025
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Smith's lawyers filed a lawsuit along with eight other death row inmates challenge Tennessee’s new protocol, saying there is a high risk of torturous death.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
Former New York Daily News reporter Frank Isola covered the Knicks for the hometown newspaper and remembers the slow and excruciating decay at Madison Square Garden.—
Mark Morales,
CNN Money,
29 May 2025
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My cancer had invaded my bones, causing excruciating pain.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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But by the end of Episode 7, viewers may very well be repeating the debate about Ellie, whose ultimate fate makes for an agonizing cliffhanger that won’t be resolved until Season 3 premieres (at least).—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
25 May 2025
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The Cabinet confirmation hearings have been agonizing for congressional Democrats, who have watched in horror as Donald Trump has pushed through one outlandish candidate after another.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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Right after that, Kansas will face bitter rival Missouri at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City on Dec. 7.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2025
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Like every other entrepreneur, Ian had to face bitter betrayal from people who once believed in his vision.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 8 Jun. 2025.
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