Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

pained

American  
[peynd] / peɪnd /

adjective

  1. hurt; injured.

  2. showing or expressing distress, anguish, or resentment.

    a pained look in reply to a sarcastic remark.
pained British  
/ peɪnd /

adjective

  1. having or expressing pain or distress, esp mental or emotional distress

    a pained expression
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • overpained adjective
  • unpained adjective

Etymology

Origin of pained

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; pain, -ed 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Kurlender said it pained him to see hundreds of thousands of south Lebanese displaced from their villages just minutes away, but thought that Israel's military offensive was necessary.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

"Again?" he asks, the pained expression on his face reflecting the troubling news he's just heard.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

"His visit will lift the spirits of a pained community and we hope will lead to a much-needed recalibration of bilateral relations between two historic allies," he said.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2026

She said she is pained by the persistent kidnappings.

From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025

After being refused reconsideration, she asked her caseworker in pained exasperation, “Am I going to be a criminal for the rest of my life?”

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.