Word
painful
US/ˈpeɪnfəɫ/
UK/pˈeɪnfəl/
Definitions
01physical hurt
B1 · Intermediate
adj. causing physical pain in your body.
adj. causing physical suffering or discomfort to the body.
Español:doloroso
“My ankle is still very painful after I tripped on the stairs yesterday.”
“The patient described a sharp, painful sensation in his lower back that intensified whenever he attempted to lift heavy objects.”
02emotional distress
B1 · Intermediate
adj. causing mental or emotional sadness and upset.
adj. evoking mental or emotional distress, grief, or discomfort.
“It was a painful memory that she didn't like to talk about.”
“The documentary offered a painful look at the lives of refugees, forcing the audience to confront the harsh realities of displacement.”
Synonyms
03difficult or slow
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. requiring a lot of effort or being very slow and difficult.
adj. characterised by effort, difficulty, or tediousness.
“The recovery was a long and painful process for the whole family.”
“The transition to the new software system was a painful experience for the staff, involving weeks of troubleshooting and overtime.”
Antonyms
04very bad or annoying
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal
adj. extremely boring, bad, or embarrassing to watch or experience.
adj. colloquially used to describe something of exceptionally poor quality or something that is socially awkward to witness.
“The comedian's jokes were so bad that the whole show was painful to watch.”
“The local theatre production was frankly painful, with actors frequently forgetting their lines and missing their cues throughout the first act.”
Antonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “painful” in context.
Verb
01. become painful
“If the area becomes painful or red, you should consult a doctor.”
verb + adj
02. find painful
“Many people find it painful to talk about their past failures.”
verb + adj
03. make painful
“The swelling in his ankle made walking very painful.”
verb + adj
Adjective
04. acutely painful
“She was acutely painful aware of the tension in the room during the meeting.”
adv + adj
05. deeply painful
“Losing his childhood home was a deeply painful experience for him.”
adv + adj
06. extremely painful
“The injury was extremely painful and required immediate medical attention.”
adv + adj
Noun
07. painful decision
“The manager had to make the painful decision to lay off several employees.”
adj + noun
08. painful memory
“The old photograph brought back a painful memory of his time in the hospital.”
adj + noun
09. painful process
“Rebuilding the city after the earthquake was a long and painful process.”
adj + noun
10. a painful lesson to learn
“Losing his savings was a painful lesson to learn about the risks of the stock market.”
11. a painful reminder of
“The empty chair was a painful reminder of his absence.”
12. be painful to watch
“The team's performance was so poor that it was painful to watch.”
Etymology
From Middle English paynful, peinful, peynful, paynefull, peynefull, equivalent to pain + -ful. Compare Danish pinefuld (“painful”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B1 · IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/painful
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0