Painful — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ˈpān-fəl/ pain·ful

Meaning & Definition of Painful

Painful (adjective)

  1. feeling or giving pain
  2. irksome, annoying
  3. requiring effort or exertion

Painful (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. causing or feeling bodily pain

    "a very painful toothache"

    "her broken arm was too painful for her to go on the trip"

    similar: aching, achy, afflictive, hurting, nasty, sore
    related: agonizing, excruciating, torturous, damaging, deleterious, detrimental, harmful, hurtful, injurious, noxious, pernicious, raw, tender, bleeding, burning, chafing, cramping, festering, itching, nagging, pinching, pricking, prickling, smarting, stinging, inflamed, swollen, grievous, severe, threatening, wounding
    opposite: indolent, painless
    near: curative, healing, helping, remedial

  2. hard to accept or bear especially emotionally

    "it's been very painful to accept that my father is gone forever"

    similar: afflicting, agonizing, bitter, cruel, excruciating, galling, grievous, harrowing, harsh, heartrending, hurtful, tormenting, torturous
    related: insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unacceptable, unbearable, unendurable, unsupportable, appalling, awful, bad, dire, dreadful, ghastly, horrible, miserable, nasty, rotten, severe, terrible, vile, wretched, acute, extreme, intense, piercing
    opposite: gratifying, pleasing, sweet
    near: bearable, endurable, supportable, sustainable, tolerable, livable, sufferable, survivable, acceptable, allowable, reasonable

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Painful

The most common words with a similar meaning to Painful:

aching, achy, afflictive, hurting, nasty, sore, afflicting, agonizing, bitter, cruel, excruciating, galling, grievous, harrowing, harsh, heartrending, hurtful, tormenting, torturous

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Painful

Words with the opposite meaning of Painful:

indolent, painless, gratifying, pleasing, sweet

Related Words for Painful

damaging, deleterious, detrimental, harmful, injurious, noxious, pernicious, raw, tender, bleeding, burning, chafing, cramping, festering, itching, nagging, pinching, pricking, prickling, smarting, stinging, inflamed, swollen, severe, threatening, wounding, insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unacceptable

Near Antonyms of Painful

curative, healing, helping, remedial, bearable, endurable, supportable, sustainable, tolerable, livable, sufferable, survivable, acceptable, allowable, reasonable

Word Forms of Painful

Inflections: painfuller, painfullest

Derived words: painfully (adverb), painfulness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Painful

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Painful

Words & Phrases Containing Painful

painful to the touch

Frequently Asked Questions about Painful

What does "Painful" mean?

"Painful" means feeling or giving pain. As an adjective, it is defined as: feeling or giving pain. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Painful"?

Other words for "Painful" include aching, achy, afflictive, hurting, nasty, sore, afflicting and agonizing. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Painful" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Painful"?

There are 68 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Painful". Common alternatives include aching, achy, afflictive, hurting, nasty, sore, afflicting, agonizing, bitter and cruel.

What is the opposite of "Painful"?

Antonyms of "Painful" include indolent, painless, gratifying, pleasing and sweet. Near antonyms include curative, healing, helping and remedial.

How do you use "Painful" in a sentence?

Examples of "Painful" in a sentence: "a very painful toothache"; "her broken arm was too painful for her to go on the trip"; "it's been very painful to accept that my father is gone forever".

Is "Painful" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Painful" is an adjective.

Is "Painful" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Painful" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Painful"?

"Painful" is pronounced /ˈpān-fəl/ and divided into syllables as pain·ful.