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
Even despite their best efforts, Romans couldn’t escape the painful discomfort that comes with being a kid who doesn’t quite fit in.
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
Any budget reduction would be painful, but the city has other options, starting with reducing the many middle management additions.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
Yet the single blemish on his resume is eternally painful to Dodgers fans.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
The Atlanta Hawks' season came to a stunning and painful end Thursday night, as the team suffered a historic 140-89 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 6 of their playoff series.
—Rashad Williams, CBS News, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for painful
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
Any budget reduction would be painful, but the city has other options, starting with reducing the many middle management additions.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
Yet the single blemish on his resume is eternally painful to Dodgers fans.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
The Atlanta Hawks' season came to a stunning and painful end Thursday night, as the team suffered a historic 140-89 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 6 of their playoff series.
—Rashad Williams, CBS News, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for painful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful
Adjective
-
Alex Bregman, originally not in the Chicago Cubs lineup because of a sore toe from a hit by pitch Sunday, was called on to pinch hit in the seventh inning Tuesday night at Petco Park.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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But the Tigers’ bullpen has still been a sore point so far this season.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Accusations were made, lawsuits were filed, harsh words were spoken and feelings were hurt.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
It’s prized for sculpting a high-definition lip that holds up under the harshest red-carpet lighting.—
Micaela English,
Glamour,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain (1997) Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain is an aching, tender slow burn shaped by absence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Even his students can be casually cruel to each other, emulating a president that Artie almost cannot fathom.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
Baseball is a sport built on failure surrounded by a cruel, cynical business, but this level of irony is almost too rich to digest.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Activists claim the animals were living in torturous conditions and were being used for medical research.—
Brady Halbleib,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
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But sad books need not be torturous books.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The process is long and excruciating, said Oceguera, but they’re just left with the essence of pineapple and coconut that’s carbonated a little for lightness on your tongue.—
Louisa Kung Liu Chu,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Each actor elevates and pushes the other toward greatness, parrying and thrusting in excruciating exchanges and switching from vulnerability to anger in a matter of seconds.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Thankfully, New Yorkers have recently been freed from the agonizing personal calculus of whether to air-freight burritos across the landmass of North America.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
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After that, in agonizing real time, the Mets became both an epic and embarrassing financial disaster, even for somebody with pockets as deep as Steve Cohen’s.—
Mike Lupica,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
Adjective
-
During Chicago’s bitter winter of 2013-2014, the Humboldt Park Lagoon froze over, and snow piled on top of the thick layer of ice, plunging vegetation into a deadly darkness.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
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Blake Lively agreed to settle her retaliation lawsuit against Justin Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer Studios, dodging a trial over the bitter Hollywood feud weeks before it was set to begin and bringing an end to a conflict that has sparked widespread interest for nearly two years.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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