painful

[peyn-fuhl] / ˈpeɪn fəl /

ADJECTIVE

physically or mentally agonizing

Synonyms

STRONGEST

agonizing arduous awful difficult dire distasteful distressing excruciating hard harrowing heart-wrenching hurtful severe tedious terrible troublesome uncomfortable unpleasant

WEAK

aching afflictive biting burning caustic disagreeable dreadful extreme extremely bad grievous hurting inflamed irritated laborious piercing raw saddening sensitive sharp smarting sore stinging tender throbbing tormenting trying vexatious

Antonyms

STRONGEST

agreeable calm easy facile friendly good great helpful mild nice pleasant pleasing simple wonderful

WEAK

delightful painless

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.

However, it is also prone to painful pullbacks.

From MarketWatch • May 30, 2026

Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha welcomed the report, saying it was "a crucial step on the painful road to truth and accountability".

From BBC • May 29, 2026

"There is going to be sort of a painful transition process because new jobs will take time to emerge," said Bouke Klein Teeselink, an economics professor at King's College London.

From Barron's • May 27, 2026

With average gas prices topping $6 in Los Angeles, it can be painful to watch your fuel gauge creep toward “E” during a day out around town.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

In the end it was just too painful to listen anymore to the radio, so we didn’t.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

painful

Example Sentences

Related Words