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

Broadly speaking, great works of Russian literature have a tendency to combine painfully austere themes with strangely rich imaginations. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026

For Holocaust survivors and their descendants, as well as for the Jewish immigrants and their children, Yiddish became a source of nostalgia – the link to a world that vanished painfully in a short period of time. — Ilan Stavans, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026

Millennials joking on social media about how the bear was supposed to pay for their college tuitions and future homes has even become its own painfully nostalgic meme. — Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026

Three years ago, I was struck all too painfully by an interactive article featuring interviews with parents of student athletes. — Emily Harrison, STAT, 31 Aug. 2026

History shows that trade imbalances of this scale almost always end painfully—and that the pain of the adjustment is not distributed evenly. — Michael Pettis, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026

No Me Arrepiento is more defined by a slow burn of emotions, beautifully and painfully put into words. — Leila Cobo, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2026

Now, a patent Meta filed in February and was granted last week suggests that the company is painfully aware of the privacy nightmare of its own creation. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026

That might seem painfully obvious, but, for at least the next decade, there will be enough resistance to a total robot takeover to delay the clanker revolution. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026