pain point

noun

plural pain points

: a persistent or recurring problem (as with a product or service) that frequently inconveniences or annoys customers

When you're in an established market, you have an established customer; their needs and pain points are clearly laid out on your competitors' review sites.

—Billy Polson

Customer service, which has been a pain point of bigger banks for years, is also improving in that it's getting faster and requires little from you.

—Chris Welch

broadly : something that is a recurring source of trouble, annoyance, or distress

Meanwhile, ironing is a pain point with her boyfriend because she loves the look of a crisply pressed men's shirt. "He never irons his shirts and it drives me crazy," she [Elyse Moody] says.

—Jura Konicus

Examples of pain point in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When creating or improving materials, developers work with mills around the world, often starting with athletes to understand their pain points and relying on textile science to engineer solutions. —Lorraine Mirabella, Baltimore Sun, 20 June 2024

Thankfully, with pain points come innovative solutions. —Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 29 May 2024

Hair Dae Fairy Duster Dry Shampoo, $30 Corn starch gives this non-aerosol, vegan formula its oil- and sweat-absorbing claims, while mojave yucca aims to relieve the common pain points that can come with dry shampoo usage, including itchiness and flaky scalp. —Noor Lobad, WWD, 14 June 2024

This not only cultivates a diverse pool of ideas but also allows companies to identify and remedy pain points proactively. —Nick Kasmik, The Enquirer, 12 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1986, in the meaning defined above