painful

adjective

pain·​ful ˈpān-fəl 

painfuller ˈpān-fə-lər  ; painfullest

1

a

: feeling or giving pain

a painful injury

b

: irksome, annoying

2

: requiring effort or exertion

a long painful trip

3

archaic : careful, diligent

painfully

ˈpān-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

painfulness

ˈpān-fəl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• aching
• achy
• afflictive
• hurting
• nasty
• sore

Examples of painful in a Sentence

I got a painful sunburn.

We can't ignore our country's painful history of slavery.

His questions brought up a lot of painful memories.

It was painful to watch.

Recent Examples on the Web

An ultimate taboo, disclosing the impulse to kill one's child must be an unthinkably painful admission. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 16 Feb. 2025

Watching De Zerbi trying to use a threadbare squad last season was painful at times. —Andy Naylor, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025

Eventually, the videos became too painful to watch, said Sergei, leading him to switch to passing occasional texts. —Ekaterina Bodyagina Nanna Heitmann, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025

On The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the reality star, 53, looked back at some of her painful history while visiting her mother in her hometown of Augusta, Georgia alongside costars Kyle Richards and Garcelle Beauvais. —Esther Kang, People.com, 12 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing painful

• painful to the touch

Kids Definition

painful

adjective

pain·​ful ˈpān-fəl 

: feeling or giving pain

painfully

-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

painfulness

-fəl-nəs 

noun

Medical Definition

painful

adjective

pain·​ful ˈpān-fəl 

painfuller -fə-lər  ; painfullest

: feeling or giving pain

painfully

-f(ə-)lē 

adverb