Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
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

"Again?" he asks, the pained expression on his face reflecting the troubling news he's just heard.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

"His visit will lift the spirits of a pained community," said Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the community's peak body.

From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026

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

Sookie’s brow folded into the center of his face and he looked pained.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

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.