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pain threshold

American  
[payn thresh-ohld, payn thresh-hohld] / ˈpeɪn ˈθrɛʃ oʊld, ˈpeɪn ˈθrɛʃ hoʊld /

noun

pain thresholds plural
  1. the specific point at which a person or animal begins to feel pain from a given stimulus.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“While markets certainly will continue to rise and fall, the pain threshold where policymakers step in to support collapsing markets is probably lower than it used to be,” they said in the note.

From MarketWatch May 26, 2026

“Paramount needs to test Netflix’s pain threshold without having to bid too high,” Yoon wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 11, 2026

Still, Vonn has a remarkably high pain threshold.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 7, 2026

She said receiving her diagnosis was a "very bittersweet feeling", adding she was sick of hearing she had "a low pain threshold".

From BBC Mar. 17, 2024

It’s also super easy to customize exactly to your giftee’s pain threshold, which is always thoughtful.

From Salon Dec. 21, 2023

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