Synonyms of painfully

painfully

adverb

as in bitterly

with feelings of bitterness or grief

painfully she recounted the difficult relationship she had with her mother

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bitterly
• sadly
• sorrowfully
• hard
• mournfully
• agonizingly
• sharply
• woefully
• harshly
• unhappily
• grievously
• regretfully
• wretchedly
• lugubriously
• ruefully
• dolorously
• resentfully
• severely
• dolefully
• sorely
• inconsolably
• plaintively
• wailfully
• hardly
• distressingly
• miserably
• abjectly
• despairingly
• dismally
• cheerlessly
• drearily
• acutely
• dispiritedly
• dejectedly
• distressfully
• darkly
• poignantly
• somberly
• joylessly
• disconsolately
• despondently
• cruelly
• forlornly
• glumly
• morosely
• sullenly
• blackly
• keenly
• pessimistically
• piercingly
• dourly
• gloomily
• mirthlessly
• hurtfully
• downheartedly
• ill
• crestfallenly
• low-spiritedly
• rancorously

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• blissfully
• happily
• joyfully
• joyously
• gladly
• cheerfully
• gleefully
• easily
• merrily
• delightedly
• cheerily
• lightly
• lightheartedly
• casually
• calmly
• gaily
• stoically
• blithely
• indifferently
• dispassionately
• nonchalantly
• unconcernedly
• impassively
• well
• sunnily
• mirthfully
• favorably
• good-naturedly
• rejoicingly
• blithesomely

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of painfully

The way Corenswet plays the denial and the grief, along with the emotional progression, is painfully human. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

Junior running back Elijah Motley is painfully aware of his unfinished business for Shepard. — Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Losing most of my coverage made the financial consequences of a cancer diagnosis painfully clear. — Howard Wolinsky, STAT, 7 Oct. 2026

And today people are painfully aware their care is getting more expensive and harder to access. — Kate Wells, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026

Infected people may have painfully swollen lymph nodes known as buboes, along with fever and chills, a severe headache, body aches and exhaustion. — News Editor, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026

For the past three decades, defense procurement was a stagnant oligopoly dominated by a handful of massive legacy prime contractors and painfully slow cost-plus research-and-development cycles. — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

The legal system dehumanizes her, the support group confuses her, and one of her friends painfully disappoints her. — Carey Purcell, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026

Life opened like a zipper, separating them painfully at first, notch by notch, then faster, wider, until the garment lay split in two. — Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026