pain

[peyn]

noun

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

   Synonyms: torment, misery, torture

2. a distressing sensation in a particular part of the body.

   a back pain.

   Synonyms: stitch, twinge, pang, torment, misery, torture

3. mental or emotional suffering or torment.

   I am sorry my news causes you such pain.

   Synonyms: torment, misery, torture
   Antonyms: delight, joy

4. pains,

   1. laborious or careful efforts; assiduous care.

      Great pains have been taken to repair the engine perfectly.

   2. the suffering of childbirth.

5. Informal.,  an annoying or troublesome person or thing.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause physical pain to; hurt.

2. to cause (someone) mental or emotional pain; distress.

   Your sarcasm pained me.

   Synonyms: grieve, trouble, torment, afflict
   Antonyms: please

verb (used without object)

1. to have or give pain.

pain

/ peɪn /

noun

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

2. emotional suffering or mental distress

3. subject to the penalty of

4. Also called: pain in the neck.  pain in the arse. informal,  a person or thing that is a nuisance

verb

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

2. informal,  to annoy; irritate

Other Word Forms

• underpain noun
• unpaining adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pain¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English peine “punishment, torture, pain,” from Old French, from Latin poena “penalty, pain,” from Greek poinḗ “penalty”

Word History and Origins

Origin of pain¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. pain in the ass, pain.

2. pain in the neck, pain.

3. feel no pain, to be intoxicated.

   After all that free beer, we were feeling no pain.

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

   on pain of death.

More idioms and phrases containing pain

• at pains
• feel no pain
• for one's pains
• growing pains
• no pain, no gain
• on pain of

Synonym Study

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. See care.

Example Sentences

"I had a really bad pain in my head in Louisiana and I did the show anyway," Glover said on stage.

Read more on BBC

This discovery could change how scientists understand pain and may guide the development of safer and more effective treatments.

Read more on Science Daily

The executives made the remarks as value continues to reign supreme in an era of tariffs and unbudging inflation, and as lower-income shoppers feel the pain of the decade’s affordability crunch more deeply.

Read more on MarketWatch

Fatigue, joint pain, rashes, brain fog or tingling in the hands and feet can seem like normal signs of aging—but they may also point to an autoimmune disease.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Supporters can numb their pain, at least until they wake up on Sunday morning and find a ticket for the third day of the first Ashes Test is now nothing more than an expensive bookmark.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• ache 
• agony 
• burn 
• cramp 
• discomfort 
• fever 
• illness 
• injury 
• irritation 
• misery 
• sickness 
• soreness www.thesaurus.com
• spasm 
• strain 
• tenderness www.thesaurus.com
• torment 
• trouble 
• twinge 
• wound