as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
painfully she recounted the difficult relationship she had with her mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of painfully
Prolific over a painfully brief career, Manzoni was one of the most radical artists of the postwar avant-garde in Italy, active between the late 1950s until his death in 1963.
—
Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
As should be painfully clear by now, there are no shortcuts to peace.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 16 Sep. 2025
This is forcing the secondary to have to guard for longer extended times, and that was painfully obvious on Sunday.
—Mark Kern, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
If your phone bill feels painfully high or your upgrade options are too limited, T-Mobile’s brand-new offer is built to give you a fresh start.
—PC Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Two innings later, another productive rally started painfully.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 14 Sep. 2025
Within seconds, however, they’re disrupted by the news that the fans love their newest single—perhaps a little too much, forcing them to hop to the next promotional obligation right away, a painfully accurate representation of K-pop’s unsustainable race for attention.
—Yvonne Kim, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
This detail, at once tragic and comic, painfully human and stupidly bureaucratic, captures something essential about Schattenfroh, an extremely dark novel about the horrors of modern European history laced with the delirious, disconcerting humor of a Hieronymus Bosch painting.
—Book Marks
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
My day in court is painfully overdue.
—Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
As should be painfully clear by now, there are no shortcuts to peace.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 16 Sep. 2025
This is forcing the secondary to have to guard for longer extended times, and that was painfully obvious on Sunday.
—Mark Kern, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
If your phone bill feels painfully high or your upgrade options are too limited, T-Mobile’s brand-new offer is built to give you a fresh start.
—PC Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Two innings later, another productive rally started painfully.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 14 Sep. 2025
Within seconds, however, they’re disrupted by the news that the fans love their newest single—perhaps a little too much, forcing them to hop to the next promotional obligation right away, a painfully accurate representation of K-pop’s unsustainable race for attention.
—Yvonne Kim, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
This detail, at once tragic and comic, painfully human and stupidly bureaucratic, captures something essential about Schattenfroh, an extremely dark novel about the horrors of modern European history laced with the delirious, disconcerting humor of a Hieronymus Bosch painting.
—Book Marks
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
My day in court is painfully overdue.
—Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painfully
Adverb
-
Tom’s final epiphany related to his estranged son isn’t earned, but not because of Ruffalo; his performance cuts a fine line between bitterly self-destructive and warmly spiritual.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
-
San Francisco officials fought bitterly against Waymo and now-defunct Cruise robotaxis from General Motors, after their vehicles repeatedly blocked traffic and emergency vehicles, with Cruise the main perpetrator.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
He eventually was contacted by a Korean company to audition for them, but sadly, didn’t make it.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
This is, sadly, a lost art; now everything is an elaborate ballet of calling, texting, and planning, with little room for spontaneity.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
12 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
The bristles are neither too floppy nor too stiff, neither too long nor too short, and are cut to the perfect rounded shape that’s just right for swirling pigment over the apples or spreading it along your cheekbones—without having to work too hard for a completely natural finish.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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The Eagles went chasing on a third-and-8 situation at the Chiefs’ 33 at the start of the third quarter, and Smith went down hard after a deep pass from Hurts fell incomplete along the left sideline.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Painfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painfully. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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