1
as in sore
causing or feeling bodily pain
a very painful toothache her broken arm was too painful for her to go on the trip
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in harsh
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
it's been very painful to accept that my father is gone forever
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of painful
In other words, failure on an international scale Predicting that Joe Biden’s presidency would be a disaster on the world stage was a rare political forecast that did not cause me painful spasms of self-doubt.
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Noah Rothman, National Review, 4 Nov. 2024
This bloating is often painful and is usually accompanied by chronic constipation and/or diarrhea, gas, belching, and sometimes weight changes, nausea and reflux.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Ryan McLean, a New York City fireman who donated bone marrow to a three-year-old child in 2022, says the process was quick and easy, not painful and with a long recovery period as donors are often led to believe.
—Pia Velasco, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2024
The impact was profound and Jones said he was left with painful memories of the trips to the psychiatric hospital, unsure exactly why his mother couldn’t come home with him.
—Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for painful 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painful
Adjective
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Albeit flat, the insoles are lightly padded, which keeps our feet from feeling sore by the end of the day.Alyssa Brascia, People.com, 16 Oct. 2024
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By day, hit the powder, then relieve sore muscles at the spa.Rebecca Deurlein, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Trump has promised to enact a new fiscal and economic regime, including harsh tariffs that some economists fear could have inflationary effects.Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
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For centuries, herders looking for summer pastures were the main presence in this harsh and inhospitable region some 14,000 feet (4,200 meters) above sea level in the eastern Himalayas.Simone McCarthy, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Vail’s spaghetti-Western instincts are ever present in 100 Cowboys, but beyond the uptempo pop-rock sound is an aching, earnest excavation of love gone wrong.CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2024
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This type of pain can be described as anything from sharp and throbbing to dull and aching.Cristina Mutchler, Health, 10 July 2024
Adjective
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The in-person aspects of the contest have remained generally positive, but online, with each new addition, the very nature of commenting on people’s bodies, looks, and attractiveness is basically heavy bait for someone to eventually say something cruel.CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2024
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Yet some began to blanch at this cruel ostentation.Tim Gallagher, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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According to the political scientist Pierre Englebert, the Congolese government and people lose as much as $4 billion in revenue every year due to state agents’ manipulation of mining contracts and payments, torturous budget practices, and outright theft.Stephen R. Weissman, Foreign Affairs, 8 June 2015
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The right boots, however, can make previously torturous bell-to-bell days no big deal.Drew Zieff, Outside Online, 9 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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An excruciating pause followed, pregnant enough to suggest triplets.Taylor Eff, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2024
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In worst-case scenarios, some owners make the excruciating decision between a poor quality of life for their dog, or euthanizing the animal to end its suffering, vets told USA TODAY.Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 8 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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She would later be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and over the next long, agonizing decade, this loving, kind person became angry and suspicious, often lashing out at family members.Jessie Van Amburg, SELF, 25 Nov. 2024
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That led him to the agonizing conclusion that season-ending surgery was the best route for a young career with plenty of future upside.Anthony Slater, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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That will come as a bitter blow to the workers affected.The Week UK, theweek, 10 Nov. 2024
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Preparing for the bitter cold months ahead Last winter, damage to energy infrastructure left around 7 million children in Ukraine without electricity, heating and water.UNICEF USA, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near painful
Cite this Entry
“Painful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painful. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
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