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

Gray has always displayed a probing visual style, boldly confrontational yet painfully tender. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026

Reich played Boss Gibbons, the painfully Gen-Z co-worker of Megan Stalter’s expat Jessica, in his first-ever screen acting role. — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026

Florida State’s administration was painfully slow to recognize that college football had become a billionaire’s auction house, where NIL money and the transfer portal had turned roster building into an arms race. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026

And while Dean overstayed his welcome later in the series, his early relationship with Rory was almost painfully adorable. — Janey Tracey, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2026

The dinosaurs’ digestive systems are incapable of breaking down vegetable matter into anything other than a painfully gassy bloat. — Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026

Asia was flat to down today as the price of oil remained painfully high—above $114 per barrel. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2026

For residents, the reservoir nonetheless remains a painfully visible symbol of the city’s shortcomings. — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Finally, there’s the moral cost of slowly, painfully killing hundreds of millions of egg-laying hens and turkeys. — Kenny Torrella, Vox, 20 Oct. 2026