as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
painfully she recounted the difficult relationship she had with her mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 painfully
These stock-heavy portfolios can leave people painfully exposed to downturns.
—
Liz Weston, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Campbell’s script has both stylized and naturalistic dialogue, giving us a group of teens who feel painfully real in their inconsistency.
—Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
How the Horns held off the Wolfpack Anyone who has watched the Longhorns are painfully aware of the palpitations and hoop sweats that come with this group.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 18 Mar. 2026
The precarious nature of housing for senior citizens has become painfully evident.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Forest’s biggest problem is also painfully simple to identify.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
The ureter is narrow, and when a kidney stone — which can range in size from a grain of sand to a small pebble — becomes lodged in there and stops the urine flow, the tube contracts painfully.
—Erin Allday, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Mar. 2026
Without a pipeline, as Europeans learned painfully when the Nord Stream pipeline was sabotaged, replacing gas in a tight market is very difficult.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2026
As airport security lines have grown painfully long in some places, the intensifying impacts of the shutdown are starting to hit Americans more acutely.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Liz Weston, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Campbell’s script has both stylized and naturalistic dialogue, giving us a group of teens who feel painfully real in their inconsistency.
—Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
How the Horns held off the Wolfpack Anyone who has watched the Longhorns are painfully aware of the palpitations and hoop sweats that come with this group.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 18 Mar. 2026
The precarious nature of housing for senior citizens has become painfully evident.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Forest’s biggest problem is also painfully simple to identify.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
The ureter is narrow, and when a kidney stone — which can range in size from a grain of sand to a small pebble — becomes lodged in there and stops the urine flow, the tube contracts painfully.
—Erin Allday, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Mar. 2026
Without a pipeline, as Europeans learned painfully when the Nord Stream pipeline was sabotaged, replacing gas in a tight market is very difficult.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2026
As airport security lines have grown painfully long in some places, the intensifying impacts of the shutdown are starting to hit Americans more acutely.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painfully
Adverb
-
The approval comes as the parties are fighting bitterly over the policies of the Department of Homeland Security, leading to a funding lapse that is now in its 34th day.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The bitterly cold wind chills will linger through the morning commute, then gradually improve this afternoon as winds ease and temperatures climb.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
16 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
While Brandon and Rosa Williams bear the ultimate responsibility for these heinous actions, there are, sadly, others to blame as well.—
Vaughan Bagley,
Baltimore Sun,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Not so much because Paul puts on-again, off-again partner Dakota Mortensen into a headlock and then pelts him with metal bar stools — sadly, this is a scene that would not be out of place on many reality shows — but because a small child is in the room.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.—
Madhuri Vijay,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
Sporting pushed hard in the second half for an equalizer, and momentum appeared to be with the home club.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The hard-throwing righty sprinted up the dugout steps for one more out after his first three outs on Thursday.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
For their part, Democratic leaders spoke mournfully of limits, of energy shortages, of national decline, of a crisis of confidence itself.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Based on the Dylan Thomas prose poem of the same name, published in 1952, the film lovingly and mournfully depicts the boyhood Christmastime of an old Welshman, tenderly and a tad mischievously embodied by Elliott.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
21 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Painfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painfully. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
