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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of painful
What transpired Tuesday night revealed a painful, undeniable reality: Right now, this Magic team does not compare to the overachieving squad that nearly eliminated the Cavaliers last postseason.
—
Josh Robbins, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Being set free and home was a joy on one hand, but also painful.
—J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for painful
Josh Robbins, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Being set free and home was a joy on one hand, but also painful.
—J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for painful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful
Adjective
-
Clevinger was eventually sidelined with a sore elbow and then needed disk replacement surgery on his neck on August 1, an operation that ended his season.—
Jared Wyllys,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
-
The 200-person pool is large enough for swimming, but most guests just soak sore muscles in the mineral-rich water (between 98 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit) while gazing at Mount Rundle and other snowy peaks.—
Cindy Hirschfeld,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Unlike Western cleansers, which often rely on harsh surfactants or astringent ingredients, Korean ones maintain the skin’s moisture barrier and natural pH balance, says Cho.—
Denise Primbet,
Glamour,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Her lyric vocal writing contends with harsh reality, but her style is never far from profound rapture.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Somebody Somewhere is tiny: a gorgeous, introspective, intimate story about a woman with devastatingly mundane problems whose chief obstacle is her own aching sense of grief and dislocation.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
9 Dec. 2024
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In this novel about the shape-shifting nature of love, Parsons captures Kit’s grief in aching and honest terms.—
Annabel Gutterman,
TIME,
6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Even then, the final late twist with the penalty felt particularly cruel.—
Patrick Boyland,
The Athletic,
23 Feb. 2025
-
Directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, Still Alice highlights the cruel nature of the illness, where a person can still feel present while simultaneously losing pieces of themselves, creating a unique kind of grief.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Even better, these expert tips should make easing into healthier phone habits much more manageable (and way less torturous).—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
19 Jan. 2025
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Fans rushed the floor after OSU secured the upset, a joyous celebration on a campus that’s been through the college realignment wringer, a torturous process that ultimately killed the Beavers’ conference.—
Lindsay Schnell,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The other story line tracks the family’s life in Europe before World War II, continues through the horrors his parents endured, the liberation of the death camps, an interlude in Sweden (where Artie was born) and a new, at times excruciating life in America.—
Manohla Dargis,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
-
Among the caterpillars Walker has studied are puss, or asp, caterpillars, whose stings can be excruciating.—
Ivan Amato,
Scientific American,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The first penalty trial featured agonizing testimony from O’Sullivan’s parents, friends and family, and took jurors through the details of the bloody scene in Del Paso Heights with videos, maps, photos and statements from other officers who had been at the scene.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacramento Bee,
24 Feb. 2025
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Over in the House, Republicans have been agonizing to come up with at least $2 trillion in spending cuts to pay for Mr. Trump’s fiscal agenda and placate their most conservative members.—
Catie Edmondson,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The bitter exchange was unlike any other in the Oval Office in modern times. 13:43 With Ukraine's future in the balance, a high-stakes meeting on Friday between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy devolved into a shouting match.—
Alexandra Hutzler,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2025
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But there are some whiskey fans who crave high-proof spirits the way others will seek out intensely hoppy beer or extremely bitter amaro: the more extreme, the better, full stop.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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