pained

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.

When I was in second grade, during a parent teacher conference, my teacher was pained to tell my mother that her son would never learn to read.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

As the memory of it washes back over you, “Omaha” lingers, like a devastating short story — devastating because it’s about a pained father for whom the road ahead only seems to get narrower.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

He could move with the grace of the tango aficionado he became or with the slow, pained gait of the cancer-ridden editor he played in “The Paper.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 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

I know my face is pained like a dog straining against a muzzle.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera