ENGLISH
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painful

adj.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈpeɪnfəɫ// UK //pˈeɪnfəl// painful Archaic General-service Informal

adj. causing physical hurt to your body or making you feel very upset and sad.

adj. causing physical discomfort or suffering; also used to describe experiences that are emotionally distressing or difficult to endure.


SIMPLE

My arm is still very painful after the fall.

CONTEXTUAL

It was painful for her to talk about the accident so soon after it happened.

COMPLEX

The recovery process was slow and painful, requiring months of physical therapy before he could walk without assistance.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English paynful, peinful, peynful, paynefull, peynefull, equivalent to pain + -ful. Compare Danish pinefuld (“painful”).

Usage

Commonly used with the intensifiers 'very', 'extremely', or 'highly'.

Pitfall

I feel painful in my legI have a pain in my leg / My leg is painfulLearners often use 'painful' to describe their own feeling of hurt rather than describing the body part or the experience itself.

Idioms1 entry

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