painful
PAYN-fl
Painful (adj) means causing physical or emotional pain. Example: “The burn was extremely painful.”
adj
1
Causing physical or emotional pain.
"The burn was extremely painful."
"It was painful to watch the team lose so badly."
"Walking on the blistered foot was slow and painful."
2
Informal: very bad or embarrassing in quality.
"His singing was frankly painful to listen to."
"The jokes in that film were painful, and nobody laughed."
"Watching him dance at the wedding was painful."
How to use painful
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishHurting physically or emotionally, or, casually, just really bad.
Common pairings
painful memory
painfully slow
painful process
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Word forms
- Comparative
- painfuller, more painful
- Superlative
- painfullest, most painful
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The burn was extremely _____.
Etymology
Came from Middle English paynful (also peinful, peynful, paynefull, peynefull), equivalent to pain plus -ful. Compare Danish pinefuld, meaning 'painful'.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for painful
See all rhymes for painful →Frequently asked questions
What does “painful” mean?
The word “painful” means causing physical or emotional pain. In plain terms, hurting physically or emotionally, or, casually, just really bad.
How do you pronounce “painful”?
“Painful” is pronounced PAYN-fl (/ˈpeɪn.fl̩/ in IPA).
How do you use “painful” in a sentence?
Here is “painful” used in a sentence: “The burn was extremely painful.”
What is another word for “painful”?
Words with a similar meaning to “painful” include achesome, aching, achy, raw, hurt and hurty.
What is the opposite of “painful”?
The opposite of “painful” — its antonyms — are acheless, agreeable, pain-free, painless and pleasant.
What part of speech is “painful”?
“Painful” is an adjective.
Is “painful” a common word?
“Painful” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “painful” have?
“Painful” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: causing physical or emotional pain.
What is the difference between 'painful' and 'sore'?
Painful means causing physical or emotional pain and can describe an event, memory, or body part. Sore usually describes a specific area of the body that hurts, often from strain or injury, so a sore muscle is painful, but a painful goodbye is not described as sore.
When is 'painful' used to mean bad quality rather than causing hurt?
In its informal sense, 'painful' means very bad or embarrassing in quality, as in 'a painful attempt at a joke'. Here it describes something awkward to watch or listen to rather than something that physically hurts.
What is the difference between 'painful' and 'painstaking'?
Despite the shared root, they mean very different things. Painful means causing pain or being poor in quality, while painstaking means done with great care and effort. A painstaking task is careful and thorough, not necessarily hurtful.
Can 'painful' describe emotions as well as the body?
Yes. 'Painful' covers both physical and emotional pain, so you can have a painful injury and a painful memory. The emotional sense is common in phrases like 'a painful decision' or 'a painful truth'.
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