pain

[peyn]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pain ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

physical suffering or distress, as due to injury, illness, etc.

a distressing sensation in a particular part of the body: a back pain.

mental or emotional suffering or torment: I am sorry my news causes you such pain.

pains,

laborious or careful efforts; assiduous care: Great pains have been taken to repair the engine perfectly.
the suffering of childbirth.

Informal. an annoying or troublesome person or thing.

verb (used with object)

to cause physical pain to; hurt.

to cause (someone) mental or emotional pain; distress: Your sarcasm pained me.

verb (used without object)

to have or give pain.

Idioms

feel no pain, Informal. to be intoxicated: After all that free beer, we were feeling no pain.

on/upon/under pain of, liable to the penalty of: on pain of death.

pain in the ass, Slang: Vulgar. pain(def 5).

pain in the neck, Informal. pain(def 5).

Origin of pain

1250–1300; Middle English peine punishment, torture, pain < Old French < Latin poena penalty, pain < Greek poinḗ penalty

Related formsun·der·pain, nounun·pain·ing, adjective

Synonyms for pain

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pain ON THESAURUS.COM

1–3. torture, misery, torment. 2. pang, twinge, stitch. 7. afflict, torment; trouble, grieve.

Synonym study

1–3. Pain , ache , agony , anguish are terms for sensations causing suffering or torment. Pain and ache usually refer to physical sensations (except heartache ); agony and anguish may be physical or mental. Pain suggests a sudden sharp twinge: a pain in one's ankle. Ache applies to a continuous pain, whether acute or dull: headache; muscular aches. Agony implies a continuous, excruciating, scarcely endurable pain: in agony from a wound. Anguish suggests not only extreme and long-continued pain, but also a feeling of despair. 4a. See care.

Antonyms for pain

3. joy, delight. 7. please.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for pain

cramp, fever, burn, sickness, soreness, agony, irritation, wound, strain, discomfort, illness, torment, misery, twinge, ache, trouble, injury, tenderness, spasm, heartache

Examples from the Web for pain

Contemporary Examples of pain

He closed his eyes, imagining the virgins, imagining away the pain in his head and groin.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’
Asawin Suebsaeng
January 7, 2015
Throughout all the stories of loss and pain with the Chief, there was barely a trace of emotion.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015
Just two young kids experiencing the panic, pain, and then the miracle, of new birth.
Jesus Wasn’t Born Rich. Think About It.
Gene Robinson
December 25, 2014
Nowhere to be found is the anguish, the drama, the pain of an athlete on that level who considering walking away.
The Story of the World’s Greatest Cricket Player
William O’Connor
December 24, 2014
The holidays are upon us, time for family, for love and pain, togetherness and loss.
The Stacks: Sell the Overcoat, Keep the Dignity
Paul Hemphill
December 22, 2014

Historical Examples of pain

"In truth, my father, I wished to avoid the pain of parting," rejoined Philæmon.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
My very blood boiled in my veins, that such an one as he could give me pain.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
No; those we love, we love for every thing; even for the pain they have given us.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
But she gave me none: it was where she was not, that pain was.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
The greyness deepened over Austin's face and the pain in his eyes.
Viviette
William J. Locke

British Dictionary definitions for pain

pain

noun

the sensation of acute physical hurt or discomfort caused by injury, illness, etc

emotional suffering or mental distress

on pain of subject to the penalty of

Also called: pain in the neck, (taboo) pain in the arse informal a person or thing that is a nuisance

verb (tr)

to cause (a person) distress, hurt, grief, anxiety, etc

informal to annoy; irritate

Word Origin for pain

C13: from Old French peine, from Latin poena punishment, grief, from Greek poinē penalty

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pain

late 13c., "punishment," especially for a crime; also "condition one feels when hurt, opposite of pleasure," from Old French peine "difficulty, woe, suffering, punishment, Hell's torments" (11c.), from Latin poena "punishment, penalty, retribution, indemnification" (in Late Latin also "torment, hardship, suffering"), from Greek poine "retribution, penalty, quit-money for spilled blood," from PIE *kwei- "to pay, atone, compensate" (see penal). The earliest sense in English survives in phrase on pain of death.

Phrase to give (someone) a pain "be annoying and irritating" is from 1908; localized as pain in the neck (1924) and pain in the ass (1934), though this last might have gone long unrecorded and be the original sense and the others euphemisms. Pains "great care taken (for some purpose)" is first recorded 1520s (in the singular in this sense, it is attested from c.1300). First record of pain-killer is from 1853.

c.1300, "to exert or strain oneself, strive; endeavor," from Old French pener (v.) "to hurt, cause pain," from peine, and from Middle English peine (n.); see pain (n.). Transitive meaning "cause pain; inflict pain" is from late 14c. That of "to cause sorrow, grief, or unhappiness" also is from late 14c. Related: Pained; paining.

pain in Medicine