pained
Americanadjective
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hurt; injured.
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showing or expressing distress, anguish, or resentment.
a pained look in reply to a sarcastic remark.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pained
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at pain, -ed 2
Explanation
When someone is pained, they're hurt or troubled by something. If you see a boy sitting on the ground beside a battered bicycle looking pained, you should check and make sure he's okay. A pained look on someone's face might mean that they're in physical discomfort. For example, if your sister gives a pained smile after falling hard at the roller rink, she might have bruised, twisted, or even broken something. In many other cases, a pained expression conveys mental pain. When you're deeply upset about something, it's hard to react with much more than a pained smile if your friend tries to cheer you up with bad jokes.
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.
Last night, Mexican Americans said no más to our pained past.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
In doing a television interview in the aftermath, Lewis Ferguson looked pained and upset.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
When I was in second grade, during a parent teacher conference, my teacher was pained to tell my mother that her son would never learn to read.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
“It’s very frustrating,” Doncic said between Games 1 and 2, standing with his hands in his pockets, pained to report that he wasn’t close to returning, five weeks into his eight-week return-to-work timeline.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
Pa Anozie gave Richard a long pained look and mumbled something for a while, looking grieved.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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