painful
Americanadjective
-
affected with, causing, or characterized by pain.
a painful wound; a painful night; a painful memory.
- Synonyms:
- excruciating, agonizing
-
laborious; exacting; difficult.
a painful life.
- Synonyms:
- arduous
- Antonyms:
- easy
-
Archaic. painstaking; careful.
adjective
-
causing pain; distressing
a painful duty
-
affected with pain
a painful leg
-
tedious or difficult
-
informal extremely bad
a painful performance
Other Word Forms
- overpainful adjective
- overpainfully adverb
- overpainfulness noun
- painfully adverb
- painfulness noun
- unpainful adjective
- unpainfully adverb
Etymology
Origin of painful
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.
His Sunday show appearances have grown progressively more painful to watch.
From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026
"As for her last words, like much of her loss, it's all rather cloudy and painful," he said.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
But we are driven by a common belief—knowing that our history, even if painful, is necessary to make the system fairer and more effective.
From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026
The resulting market strain has been painful for both investors and the economy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026
Liddy refused to put the lead hunk into his shoe—the limp-inducing device was part of his cover, designed to distract passersby from his face, but it was just too painful.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
