as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
painfully she recounted the difficult relationship she had with her mother
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Recent Examples of painfully
The novel painfully exposes the ruthless mistreatment and exploitation of both racehorses and humans in this era and tracks the ripples of that trauma through time.
—
Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Audiences fell in love with Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt’s pitch-perfect chemistry as Paul and Jamie Buchman, a married couple whose everyday misadventures felt hilariously — sometimes painfully — relatable.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
The Georgia film and TV business remains painfully subdued as summer nears.
—Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 3 June 2026
Keep Air Circulating One of the easiest ways to tackle a painfully hot and stuffy garage in the summer is to keep air circulating.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 2 June 2026
That 2010 team also came painfully close to the next step, tying for eighth in stroke play before losing in a three-team playoff for a spot in match play.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2026
Many are now unlearning that belief—slowly, painfully.
—Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Retail giants and small firms alike say refunds are crucial for cutting prices, paying debts and staying afloat, even as many complain that payments are arriving painfully slowly.
—Mae Anderson, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
But since then the process of identifying a new vendor and signing a contract has been painfully slow, betraying the mayor’s lack of urgency.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Audiences fell in love with Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt’s pitch-perfect chemistry as Paul and Jamie Buchman, a married couple whose everyday misadventures felt hilariously — sometimes painfully — relatable.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
The Georgia film and TV business remains painfully subdued as summer nears.
—Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 3 June 2026
Keep Air Circulating One of the easiest ways to tackle a painfully hot and stuffy garage in the summer is to keep air circulating.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 2 June 2026
That 2010 team also came painfully close to the next step, tying for eighth in stroke play before losing in a three-team playoff for a spot in match play.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2026
Many are now unlearning that belief—slowly, painfully.
—Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Retail giants and small firms alike say refunds are crucial for cutting prices, paying debts and staying afloat, even as many complain that payments are arriving painfully slowly.
—Mae Anderson, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
But since then the process of identifying a new vendor and signing a contract has been painfully slow, betraying the mayor’s lack of urgency.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painfully
Adverb
-
After Adele and her mother had fought, bitterly, about her decision to keep the baby, and then more bitterly about her refusal to find Jamie in Florida and demand child support, Bromley invited her to live with him while things cooled down at home.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
During the Nullification Crisis of 1831–1833, partisan journalists had a major role in framing the issue and were bitterly opposed to one another, especially in South Carolina.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
26 May 2026
Adverb
-
Those faithful are making SpaceX not just the largest and most widely-lauded IPO ever, but sadly, far-and-away the most expensive.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
-
As a fashion writer with expensive taste and a budget that (sadly) doesn’t always agree, TJ Maxx’s Runway section has become my go-to source for scoring designer finds at prices that feel too good to be true.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
6 June 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
-
Many cities and school districts are trying hard to line up job opportunities for young people.—
Dianna Douglas,
NPR,
6 June 2026
-
With his gregarious nature and hard-drinking demeanor, Lobo is an intimidating extraterrestrial mercenary and bounty hunter, but his origin story is brutal, even by those standards.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
6 June 2026
Adverb
-
Things are getting hot in Kayce's love life, even after the widower mournfully visits the East Camp memorial to his beloved wife, Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille).—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
25 May 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Painfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painfully. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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