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
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
The film’s themes of creative frustration and unmet potential are fruitful and fascinating but are left undeveloped, and the movie is painfully short on psychology.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 29 May 2026
These honest, tender, and sometimes funny essays offer companionship for anyone who has loved deeply and lost painfully.
—Pioneer Press, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Michelle Pfeiffer is also phenomenal as a former bad girl who’s become status obsessed and hopes to marry a painfully square youth minister (Greg Kinnear) but can’t quite get rid of her hard edges.
—Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
The tragic death of Matthew Perry was heartbreaking for millions who loved him as an actor and admired him as a man who fought, often publicly and painfully, to overcome his addictions.
—Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 28 May 2026
Instead, Colorado stormed back to tie the game late and win in overtime, ending the Wild’s season abruptly and painfully for a fanbase desperate to embrace a winner.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 27 May 2026
But even that comic tension threatens to rip as the painfully thin story repeatedly circles the same disputes without deepening them.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 May 2026
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
The film’s themes of creative frustration and unmet potential are fruitful and fascinating but are left undeveloped, and the movie is painfully short on psychology.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 29 May 2026
These honest, tender, and sometimes funny essays offer companionship for anyone who has loved deeply and lost painfully.
—Pioneer Press, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Michelle Pfeiffer is also phenomenal as a former bad girl who’s become status obsessed and hopes to marry a painfully square youth minister (Greg Kinnear) but can’t quite get rid of her hard edges.
—Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
The tragic death of Matthew Perry was heartbreaking for millions who loved him as an actor and admired him as a man who fought, often publicly and painfully, to overcome his addictions.
—Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 28 May 2026
Instead, Colorado stormed back to tie the game late and win in overtime, ending the Wild’s season abruptly and painfully for a fanbase desperate to embrace a winner.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 27 May 2026
But even that comic tension threatens to rip as the painfully thin story repeatedly circles the same disputes without deepening them.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 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
-
When Manny Fernandez passed away quietly at age 79 this week at his home in a small Georgia town called Ellaville, a subtle-yet-seismic shift occurred — mostly symbolic, but still sadly notable.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
27 May 2026
-
Remarkably, sadly, the world is silent.—
Michael Arkush,
Twin Cities,
26 May 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
-
Fernando has no such accidents despite hitting the ball hard.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
-
The couple hard-launched their relationship in 2019 with their first red carpet appearance at the LACMA Art + Film Gala in LA.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
30 May 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 6 Jun. 2026.
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