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
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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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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 
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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By day, hit the powder, then relieve sore muscles at the spa.Rebecca Deurlein, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
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Imagine walking through your perfect itinerary for your trip to Rome only to have blisters and sore feet on day one, curbing your ability to wander the city’s romantic streets.Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 3 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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This soaring exploration of generational trauma starts with Star, a survivor of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, who’s forced to speak English and practice Christianity by the man who goes on to found the notoriously cruel Carlisle Indian Industrial School.Lizz Schumer, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
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Calcutta and appeared as Tony Moss, the cruel, toupeed director of the topless dance revue at the Stardust Casino, in Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls (1995).Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 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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Marking its 70th anniversary in 2023, Buchinger Wilhelmi in Überlingen, Germany, was the brainchild of a clean-living German naval doctor, Otto Buchinger (1878-1966), whose career was cut short by excruciating rheumatism.Bill Prince, theweek, 7 Nov. 2024
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Helene's toll: Hurricane among the deadliest since 1950 The cost in dollars: Hurricane season will cost over $100B Women online are warning each other about painful procedures Kerry Schwartz suffered excruciating pain during a gynecological biopsy to have a fibroid removed.John Riley, USA TODAY, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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These decisions are already inherently agonizing in and of themselves, only to be compounded by the uncertainty of what will and will not be covered by insurance.Renee Hsia, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
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Navigating long-term health care for older adults is an agonizing challenge faced by millions of people across the U.S.Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 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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On the eve of the election, amid a bitter chill, Marisela Olvera, a member of the Culinary Workers Union, rapped on doors in North Las Vegas to make her pitch.Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 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 21 Nov. 2024.
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