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Synonyms

pained

American  
[peynd] / peɪnd /

adjective

  1. hurt; injured.

  2. showing or expressing distress, anguish, or resentment.

    a pained look in reply to a sarcastic remark.
pained British  
/ peɪnd /

adjective

  1. having or expressing pain or distress, esp mental or emotional distress

    a pained expression
"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

Other Word Forms

  • overpained adjective
  • unpained adjective

Etymology

Origin of pained

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; pain, -ed 2

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.

Kurlender said it pained him to see hundreds of thousands of south Lebanese displaced from their villages just minutes away, but thought that Israel's military offensive was necessary.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

A Father Christmas figure is pictured looking pained in the water at the foot of a rock.

From Barron's • Nov. 19, 2025

Bero wrote, “In all cases, she manages to make her subjects look dull, ashy, pained and sad, a far cry from the lively and graceful people that they usually are.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2025

City boss Guardiola's dismay was captured by a pained expression on his face at full-time, slowly applauding the travelling support before dragging himself down the tunnel with slumped shoulders.

From BBC • Sep. 21, 2025

“Nobody did this to me,” the chupacabras said, his voice low and pained.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.