pain point

noun

plural pain points

: a persistent or recurring problem (as with a product or service) that frequently inconveniences or annoys customers

When you're in an established market, you have an established customer; their needs and pain points are clearly laid out on your competitors' review sites.

—Billy Polson

Customer service, which has been a pain point of bigger banks for years, is also improving in that it's getting faster and requires little from you.

—Chris Welch

broadly : something that is a recurring source of trouble, annoyance, or distress

Meanwhile, ironing is a pain point with her boyfriend because she loves the look of a crisply pressed men's shirt. "He never irons his shirts and it drives me crazy," she [Elyse Moody] says.

—Jura Konicus

Examples of pain point in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ways To Fix The Hidden Costs Of Poor DX Measuring DX through regular feedback loops can help identify pain points that contribute to turnover and limit it. —Alex Circei, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025

Best Surface Cleaners What’s your cleaning pain point? —Ella Field, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Mar. 2025

In the meantime, credit card debt continues to be a pain point for consumers struggling to keep up with high prices. —Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 14 Mar. 2025

Sourcing Journal: Is this race to the bottom one of the big pain points for the industry? —Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 13 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1986, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pain point

• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint
• gunpoint
• midpoint
• nonpoint
• pinpoint
• standpoint