painful
Americanadjective
-
affected with, causing, or characterized by pain.
a painful wound; a painful night; a painful memory.
- Synonyms:
- excruciating, agonizing
-
laborious; exacting; difficult.
a painful life.
- Synonyms:
- arduous
- Antonyms:
- easy
-
Archaic. painstaking; careful.
adjective
-
causing pain; distressing
a painful duty
-
affected with pain
a painful leg
-
tedious or difficult
-
informal extremely bad
a painful performance
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of painful
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at pain, -ful
Explanation
Anything painful hurts a lot — either physically or emotionally. Your sprained ankle may be painful, but so is your broken heart. When something is physically painful, it hurts your body in some way, like a painful burn or a painful paper cut. Other things hurt just as much, but in an emotional way, like a painful separation from your cat when you go to summer camp. You can also use this adjective informally to mean really bad: "The wedding band's attempt at 'Stairway to Heaven' was just painful."
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.
"It's a huge debate – a very painful debate," Emi says.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
The complex internal hierarchy of Israel’s kibbutzim ensures that only a few long-term residents—usually older people—have a vote in matters relating to governance, including the painful question of knocking down the houses of the kibbutz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease in which cartilage gradually breaks down, leaving joints painful, swollen and increasingly difficult to move.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
"This is a painful moment for our armed forces and for the entire nation," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
His heart was racing, and his breath came in great, deep, painful gasps.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
