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
Like when many thought that the pandemic recession would be long and painful.
—
Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 6 Jan. 2026
Jackson, dealing with a painful back contusion, passed for 238 yards and three scores, including a pair to Zay Flowers in the fourth quarter.
—Arkansas Online, 5 Jan. 2026
The Chiefs’ defense, as has been the case through these final painful weeks of the 2025 season, did enough to win the game.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Jan. 2026
But Dailyn Swain, who had a career game with 34 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out late against Mississippi State, cautioned against clinging to the defeat, no matter how painful.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for painful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful
Adjective
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Shein’s new brick-and-mortar store—its first in the world—sticks out like a sore thumb.—
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The Clippers were missing two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and guard Bradley Beal (sore knee) in a lopsided 126-107 loss to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.—
Adjective
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Bipartisan harsh criticism Senators from both sides of the aisle blasted the investigation.—
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Common exfoliators and fine line-eliminators like retinol and glycolic acid are too harsh on my skin, but this serum utilizes lactic acid, which is far more gentle but just as potent.—
Adjective
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In this aching, unorthodox historical drama, Davies tells the story of the pacifist poet and veteran Siegfried Sassoon, whose experiences fighting in the First World War forever transformed him.—
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Braxton shares an aching need to be vulnerable only to realize by album’s end that such unions can result in horrible betrayal, her words of lament surrounded by swelling, lush orchestration.—
Adjective
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The forest had taught him that city dwellers could often be regulated by cruel and rather unpredictable codes.—
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That Maduro is a cruel dictator is clear; that Trump intends more than just his arrest (such as taking their oil) is equally clear.—
Adjective
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September 22 Lucas Museum opens After a long, semi-torturous process, George Lucas’s grand vision for a public museum containing an impressive collection of paintings, drawings, and film memorabilia will finally come to fruition.—
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During this increasingly torturous adjustment period, Millie learns Nina spent some time in a psychiatric facility years earlier after allegedly leaving Cece to drown in a bathtub and taking enough pills to kill herself.—
Adjective
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The first round of the International Tennis Federation’s W35 tournament, played on a clay court in Nairobi, Kenya, wouldn’t normally make much of a splash in the tennis world, but millions of people have now seen what transpired over 37 excruciating minutes in the capital.—
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Along the way, his Colts had playoff appearances almost every year and an excruciating loss in an AFC Championship Game.—
Adjective
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The Cincinnati Bengals have endured agonizing losses over the past two weeks, both falling late in the fourth quarter due to a defense that has struggled to make key stops.—
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The agonizing disease disproportionately impacts black and brown people, many of whom don’t live past their 50s and struggle with heart disease, strokes, kidney disease, and joint problems.—
Adjective
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He was chosen as commissioner in October 1989 over New Orleans general manager Jim Finks after a bitter fight highlighting the differences between the NFL's old guard and newer owners.—
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Arugula Arugula is an aromatic, slightly bitter leafy green.—
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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