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
• severely
• wretchedly
• lugubriously
• ruefully
• dolorously
• resentfully
• dolefully
• sorely
• wailfully
• inconsolably
• plaintively
• hardly
• miserably
• distressingly
• abjectly
• despairingly
• dismally
• cheerlessly
• drearily
• acutely
• dispiritedly
• distressfully
• dejectedly
• darkly
• poignantly
• somberly
• joylessly
• disconsolately
• despondently
• cruelly
• forlornly
• glumly
• morosely
• sullenly
• blackly
• keenly
• pessimistically
• piercingly
• dourly
• gloomily
• mirthlessly
• hurtfully
• ill
• downheartedly
• 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

Nolan understands it too, which is why The Odyssey still feels painfully modern. — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026

Yet with plenty of historical pedigree, Ferrari remains painfully stuck in a cycle of defeat largely of its own making. — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 15 July 2026

That simple, honorable point about the dignity of emigrating remains painfully controversial in Dean’s home country and here. — Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

The continent risks becoming a single-issue actor, as has been painfully evident in Europe’s near-total absence from its Southern perimeter stretching from North Africa through the Levant to the Persian Gulf. — Galip Dalay, Time, 7 July 2026

Her life remains a poignant reminder that America’s promise of liberty was still painfully incomplete for many who believed in it most. — Robin Follman, Oc Register, 4 July 2026

For Tiffany Nolan-Rodriguez, the past year has felt painfully quiet. — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026

Since then, the company’s creations have solved painfully difficult problems in fields from mathematics to computational biology. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

For me, that next day at the clinic passed both painfully slowly and in a blur. — Helen Santoro, Denver Post, 29 June 2026