1
as in ache
a sharp unpleasant sensation usually felt in some specific part of the body
the child was crying because of a pain in her knee
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
a sprained ankle caused him great pain for a week
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in care
pains plural
strict attentiveness to what one is doing
asked the movers to take pains to be sure that they didn't damage anything while moving the furniture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in work
pains plural
the active use of energy in producing a result
she was at pains to reassure us that everything would be fine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in nuisance
one who is obnoxiously annoying
sometimes that child, who apparently never tires of asking questions, can be such a pain
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pain
James Brewer, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The impulse to criticize, lecture, or clamp down hard comes from a place of pain.
—Robyn Koslowitz, Parents, 19 Sep. 2025
Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Not pain good enough to go and end her life.
—Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pain
Noun
That said, if the long-term goal is to allow their beneficiaries to inherit tax free, the short-term pain of the higher IRMAA brackets may be worth it.
—James Brewer, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The impulse to criticize, lecture, or clamp down hard comes from a place of pain.
—Robyn Koslowitz, Parents, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
But following her pregnancy, Alvarez was pained by how much her symptoms were affecting her family.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Not pain good enough to go and end her life.
—Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pain
Noun
-
The acute phase may last weeks or months and often goes unnoticed, though some people develop fever, fatigue, body aches, rash or swelling around the bite site, the CDC says.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Sep. 2025
-
However, her symptoms were brushed off as muscle aches.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Those with suicide ideation might attempt suicide, but these attempts often represent a desire to escape distress as opposed to end-of-life issues.—
Eric Wood,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
In Pennsylvania, lawmakers have still not broken out of the impasse, spelling financial distress for schools and counties that rely particularly heavily on state funding.—
Isabella Volmert,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Patients with mental health conditions have also been regularly denied emergency care, according to federal agencies.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani promises to make childcare free for kids 6 weeks to 5 years old by subsidizing family care, paying teachers a living wage, easing regulatory burden to open more child care centers.—
Yasser Salem,
Fortune,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
And the handle took a lot of work.—
Megan McIntyre,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Norman's posts on social media, which primarily focused on community policing work, drew enough attention that in 2021 then-President Joe Biden awarded Norman and 15 others the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
While a nuisance for gardeners, in this nuisance lies opportunity.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Jet lag isn't merely a nuisance of frequent travel.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
My actions have hurt innocent people.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Too many reminders can come across as pushy and hurt your chances.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
After all, who wants to feel the pangs of self-doubt, anxiety, or chronic stress?—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
But honestly, for me at least, there were also pangs of a quite familiar feeling: mom guilt.—
Sona Charaipotra,
Parents,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Americans can channel the collective agony and frustration to encourage meaningful change, cooling down the division, making gun laws safer, opening genuinely constructive discussions, informing the public about the risks and calling on lawmakers to take real action.—
Arash Javanbakht,
The Conversation,
15 Sep. 2025
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Other paintings by those presently or formerly incarcerated reflect on the agony of prison itself.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pain. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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