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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of painful
Her name brings profound joy and hope & her passing leaves painful tears and sorrow.
—
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
His announcement puts much of that speculation to rest and closes the book on a painful chapter for fellow Republicans, many of whom were negatively impacted by the Robinson campaign's free fall in the weeks before the election.
—Lucille Sherman, Axios, 31 Jan. 2025
That dog has the same reaction, loving the attention and getting closer to get more pats and affection, despite its skin looking raw and painful.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Trump also makes clear his intent to apply painful public and government pressure on private-sector DEI practices as well, and does not cloak his reasons.
—The Editors, National Review, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for painful 
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
His announcement puts much of that speculation to rest and closes the book on a painful chapter for fellow Republicans, many of whom were negatively impacted by the Robinson campaign's free fall in the weeks before the election.
—Lucille Sherman, Axios, 31 Jan. 2025
That dog has the same reaction, loving the attention and getting closer to get more pats and affection, despite its skin looking raw and painful.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Trump also makes clear his intent to apply painful public and government pressure on private-sector DEI practices as well, and does not cloak his reasons.
—The Editors, National Review, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for painful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful
Adjective
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Several years later, the property is still a sore subject for Atwater.—
Ben Wieder,
Miami Herald,
26 Jan. 2025
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After all, shin splints, sore feet, and blisters can ruin any activity.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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That question is particularly pointed in the case of the U. of C. Will its promotion of freedom of expression and inquiry prove in the end to have been a marketing strategy that can be discarded in the face of harsh political realities?—
Jamie Kalven,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Feb. 2025
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But the evening maintained a spirited vibe even with the harsh realities of upended lives as part of the backdrop.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA TODAY,
1 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
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Banek has requested the Illinois Department of Public Health probe the cruel death, also asking that all evidence associated with the case be preserved.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Jan. 2025
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But his cruel divisiveness is deflecting attention from the main event.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
29 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Editor’s picks ‘Brutal beatings’ Cooper and hundreds of Dozier students accused school wardens of torturous abuse over minor infractions, like whippings, beatings, forced labor, and medical neglect.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
15 Dec. 2024
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Minuscule, meticulous, torturous, and incomprehensible to most mortals.—
Jean-Philippe Toussaint,
Harper's Magazine,
22 July 2024
Adjective
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Like the compulsive twisting of a pencil into a sharpener, Khatami tightens the narrative rope to excruciating effect with a series of ominous foreshadowings.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
25 Jan. 2025
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Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews received the lion's share of the blame after the Baltimore Ravens' playoff run came to an abrupt and excruciating end.—
Chantz Martin,
Fox News,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But the final plot twist is less a blowout than a private revelation that brings agonizing clarity — the kind of thing people write songs about.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
28 Jan. 2025
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And the many agonizing challenges Ricky faces along the way — holding down a job, commuting without a car, keeping his parole officer (Sheryl Lee Ralph) off his case — are derived from real life.—
Matt Brennan,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Officially, the Black Chamber didn’t exist until 1931, when its founder, Yardley—bitter after an abrupt dismissal—decided to expose it to the world in a tell-all book titled The American Black Chamber.—
Peter Zablocki,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 Feb. 2025
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Or is this devil-take-the-hindmost AI arms race just the result of bitter competition, prodded by recent advances in semiconductor technology?—
Michael Riordan,
Scientific American,
31 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near painful
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
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