1
as in sore
causing or feeling bodily pain
a very painful toothache her broken arm was too painful for her to go on the trip
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in harsh
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
it's been very painful to accept that my father is gone forever
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of painful
Iran's response would not defeat a superior military force head-on, but would make operating in the Gulf painful and expensive.
—
Imtiaz Tyab, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026
Friday’s results, though, were painful.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 14 Mar. 2026
This has felt like the longest, most painful awards season in recent memory.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2026
The wait until Selection Sunday will be painful for Dennis Gates’ team.
—Jim Root, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for painful
Imtiaz Tyab, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026
Friday’s results, though, were painful.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 14 Mar. 2026
This has felt like the longest, most painful awards season in recent memory.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2026
The wait until Selection Sunday will be painful for Dennis Gates’ team.
—Jim Root, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for painful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful
Adjective
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Brandin Podziemski scored 25 and Gui Santos had 22, while Quinten Post returned from a sore ankle to score 20.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
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With Anthony Edwards laboring because of a sore right knee, Randle and Ayo Dosunmu stepped in to pick up the scoring slack.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Residents describe the smell as a harsh chemical paint smell, similar to the smell in a nail salon.—
Jessica Riley,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
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Hardliners appeared to consolidate power in Iran as a result of US and Israeli air strikes, with experts fearing restrictions on dissent could be even harsher.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The dramatic and aching second movement, according to Egarr, may have been a love letter to one of Beethoven’s romantic interests.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
21 Feb. 2026
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And no matter what the ultimate tally, every individual is an aching, terrible loss.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The stalemate stems from Democrats’ insistence on immigration-enforcement reform — particularly, the cruel and often erroneous enforcement that is sending shockwaves of fear throughout immigrant populations and even distressing American-citizen residents of Puerto Rico.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2026
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Shaw called the revelation an appalling and cruel irony.—
Stephanie Elam,
CNN Money,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The verified account, @realanndowd (not to be confused with Bald Ann Dowd), made its first post on March 18 — finally ending the torturous 5,642-day dry spell of there being no Ann Dowd on the app.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
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Julia’s psychosis starts to shatter, overcome by cardboard shipping boxes and torturous insomnia.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The pain, for some, is excruciating, yet others feel no pain at all.—
Jacob Stern,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
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Officer Alex Luebbehusen, one of the officers involved in the 2022 Buckhead shooting, said the investigative process was excruciating and slow.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Two cohosts dropped like Joy Behar falling out of her chair during Wednesday's live show, during an agonizing discussion about comedian Chelsea Handler's new romantic relationship.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Mar. 2026
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Anyone who followed that series on a weekly basis knows how agonizing those cliffhangers could be.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Sacramento’s top public media institutions filed Monday a settlement agreement in their dueling lawsuits to determine the owner of a transmission tower, ending a bitter legal dispute.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
17 Mar. 2026
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Without proper attention, a carafe will take on a brown tinge, and limescale buildup will eventually reduce the machine's efficiency, leading to bitter-tasting coffee and other malfunctions.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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