1
as in sore
causing or feeling bodily pain
a very painful toothache her broken arm was too painful for her to go on the trip
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in harsh
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
it's been very painful to accept that my father is gone forever
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of painful
These conversations are frequently painful and hard; data scientists have noted that Thanksgiving dinners with guests who cross party lines are frequently shorter.
—
Betsy Sinclair, The Conversation, 21 Mar. 2025
The current skittishness in markets has been extra painful for investors with heavy tech exposure, specifically those owning Mag 7 stocks: Tesla, Nvidia, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Apple.
—Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 21 Mar. 2025
On top of that, hollies with pointy leaves can be painful to run into.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2025
While that decline was painful for COST holders, the stock bottomed in mid-May, five months before the S & P 500 ultimately found its own low in October 2022.
—Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for painful
Betsy Sinclair, The Conversation, 21 Mar. 2025
The current skittishness in markets has been extra painful for investors with heavy tech exposure, specifically those owning Mag 7 stocks: Tesla, Nvidia, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Apple.
—Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 21 Mar. 2025
On top of that, hollies with pointy leaves can be painful to run into.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2025
While that decline was painful for COST holders, the stock bottomed in mid-May, five months before the S & P 500 ultimately found its own low in October 2022.
—Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for painful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful
Adjective
-
Made with silicone, this teether has a variety of textures that are meant to soothe a baby’s sore gums.—
Laura Lu,
Parents,
29 Mar. 2025
-
Khris Middleton, who, along with Smart, came to the Wizards at the NBA trade deadline, sat out the second half because of what team officials said was a sore right knee.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Designed for hiking and other outdoor adventures, these water-resistant pants are made with UPF 50 protection from harsh sun rays along with several spacious, handy pockets.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Mar. 2025
-
President Trump is threatening 20 years in prison for anyone who vandalizes a Tesla, specifically in a harsh El Salvador facility.—
Emily Forlini,
PCMAG,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Somebody Somewhere is tiny: a gorgeous, introspective, intimate story about a woman with devastatingly mundane problems whose chief obstacle is her own aching sense of grief and dislocation.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
9 Dec. 2024
-
In this novel about the shape-shifting nature of love, Parsons captures Kit’s grief in aching and honest terms.—
Annabel Gutterman,
TIME,
6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
What's particularly cruel about that reality is that after years of dealing with questions about his weight, the former Duke Blue Devil star played a career-high 70 games in 2023-24.—
Bobby Krivitsky,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
-
As poor, lost, beautiful Dorian becomes more and more shallow and cruel—with only the portrait locked away in his attic reflecting the decay of his body and soul—Williams and Snook together locate Wilde’s evocation of a particularly insidious kind of societal cancer.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Their relocation will mark the end of a long, and often torturous, journey for the club that began almost 25 years ago.—
Tom Burrows,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
-
Now, five years after the declaration of a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and three years past seeing how torturous a death the virus can bring, Shaver says the experience gave her a new perspective on life.—
Tammy Ljungblad,
Kansas City Star,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
March Madness has been as entertaining as ever, with the men’s and women’s tournaments filled with stunning performances, thrilling finishes and excruciating heartbreak.—
Bob Harkins,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
-
That was thrilling, nail-biting and excruciating all at the same time.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Social media is filled with quips and notes about the agonizing ways in which the show nails the corporate experience.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Coming to grips with what happened has been agonizing.—
Christine Pelisek,
People.com,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
To add to Ferrari’s woes, Hamilton was also disqualified from sixth as the rear skid block on his car failed to meet the minimum thickness requirement – a bitter pill to swallow for the Brit who had secured his first victory for the team in the sprint earlier in the weekend.—
Yara Elshebiny,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
-
Some instant coffee is made with Robusta beans, which can be a bit bitter.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share