1
: feeling pain : hurt
2
: expressing or involving pain
a pained expression
with pained surprise
Examples of pained in a Sentence
She wore a pained expression on her face.
He truly looked pained when he heard the news.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ben Affleck makes the most dour Batman imaginable; Cavill is forced to spend much of the movie looking noble and pained.
—
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 July 2025
Chuck, a gifted dancer doing his math homework, looks pained.
—Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
Fable is luxuriating in contrasts between the pained, private, and pop-adjacent Bon Iver.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2025
The increasingly obvious awfulness of Dave’s book gives Smollett some great reaction work amid all Michelle’s pained determination.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pained
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Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 July 2025
Chuck, a gifted dancer doing his math homework, looks pained.
—Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
Fable is luxuriating in contrasts between the pained, private, and pop-adjacent Bon Iver.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2025
The increasingly obvious awfulness of Dave’s book gives Smollett some great reaction work amid all Michelle’s pained determination.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pained
Cite this Entry
“Pained.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pained. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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