adjective
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not causing pain or distress
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not affected by pain
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of painless
Explanation
Anything that's painless doesn't hurt at all. A painless medical procedure (like having blood drawn) might be a little scary, but it's actually very easy. Getting your teeth cleaned at the dentist should be a painless process, although getting a filling sometimes hurts a little bit. A painless math test is simple and requires very little work or thought on your part — this is a figurative way to use painless, obviously, since no one would expect a math test to cause you physical pain, even if it's not your strongest subject.
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.
After five hours of a painless electric tickling sensation, he had a fresh arm, and he was sent back out into battle.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
He adds: "Japanese society expects painless reform, so I think it can be said that drastic reform is difficult, to say the least."
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The students’ process of losing teachers they had bonded with, come to trust and looked forward to having again is anything but painless.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
They traveled to Zurich, Switzerland, where they enlisted Dignitas, a Swiss nonprofit, to help Brian achieve a painless death.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
It might have been painless for Kohl, but not for Rowan.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
