as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
painfully she recounted the difficult relationship she had with her mother
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Recent Examples of painfully
The Seahawks came painfully close to becoming back-to-back champions.
—
Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
But the ethical questions that the case had raised—about the meaning of family and the commodification of children, the tension between reproductive autonomy and contractual compulsion—were left painfully unresolved.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
For me, in Friday’s painfully long, inevitably uneven, excessively dance-obsessed but also somehow lovable Milan Cortina 2026 event, that moment came early.
—Judy Berman, Time, 7 Feb. 2026
That doubt left Mike and Emily, new homeowners with three mouths to feed, both painfully unemployed.
—Andrew Callahan, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026
But to Vargas and the lawyers who have spent months tracking conditions at Dilley, Liam’s fearful expression — and his father’s account of the child falling ill while detained — captured something painfully familiar.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 6 Feb. 2026
While OpenAI hasn’t yet settled on a way to implement ads for its blockbuster chatbot, an early screenshot the company showed off during its announcement late last year indicates that free-tier users will likely be painfully aware that the company is trying to sell them something.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 5 Feb. 2026
For the Nets, that felt painfully accurate Tuesday night.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Although federal courts during the late 19th century remained painfully silent on the constitutionality of these antidemocratic measures, contemporary observers saw these redistricting efforts as more than a simple act of seeking partisan advantage.
—Robert D. Bland, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
But the ethical questions that the case had raised—about the meaning of family and the commodification of children, the tension between reproductive autonomy and contractual compulsion—were left painfully unresolved.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
For me, in Friday’s painfully long, inevitably uneven, excessively dance-obsessed but also somehow lovable Milan Cortina 2026 event, that moment came early.
—Judy Berman, Time, 7 Feb. 2026
That doubt left Mike and Emily, new homeowners with three mouths to feed, both painfully unemployed.
—Andrew Callahan, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026
But to Vargas and the lawyers who have spent months tracking conditions at Dilley, Liam’s fearful expression — and his father’s account of the child falling ill while detained — captured something painfully familiar.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 6 Feb. 2026
While OpenAI hasn’t yet settled on a way to implement ads for its blockbuster chatbot, an early screenshot the company showed off during its announcement late last year indicates that free-tier users will likely be painfully aware that the company is trying to sell them something.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 5 Feb. 2026
For the Nets, that felt painfully accurate Tuesday night.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Although federal courts during the late 19th century remained painfully silent on the constitutionality of these antidemocratic measures, contemporary observers saw these redistricting efforts as more than a simple act of seeking partisan advantage.
—Robert D. Bland, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painfully
Adverb
-
In the capital, Kyiv, temperatures well below zero and bitterly cold winds are expected for the next four days at least.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The business relationship appears to have ended bitterly, based on the emails.—
John Diedrich,
jsonline.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
So, Elliott Gould’s character, Legal, sadly dies this season.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Although the movie indicated that, sadly, little in Congress has changed — the same bickering and same patronage — our world has changed.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.—
Madhuri Vijay,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
Some teens worry that relying on AI for emotional support could make real conversations harder.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Feb. 2026
-
And some may not get on the ballot — each candidate must gather 500 legitimate voter signatures by March 4, which is relatively easy in citywide races but harder in council districts.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
For their part, Democratic leaders spoke mournfully of limits, of energy shortages, of national decline, of a crisis of confidence itself.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Based on the Dylan Thomas prose poem of the same name, published in 1952, the film lovingly and mournfully depicts the boyhood Christmastime of an old Welshman, tenderly and a tad mischievously embodied by Elliott.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
21 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Painfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painfully. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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