painfully
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
in a way that causes physical pain or shows that someone is hurting.
in a manner that inflicts or manifests physical suffering.
Simple“He moved painfully across the room after his leg surgery.”
In context“The athlete limped painfully toward the sidelines, clutching his hamstring while the trainers rushed to assist him.”
SynonymssorelyagonizinglyAntonymspainlessycomfortably - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
used to emphasize that something is very slow, difficult, or embarrassing.
to an extreme and distressing degree; often used to modify adjectives describing slowness, honesty, or social awkwardness.
Simple“The progress on the new road was painfully slow for the local drivers.”
In context“The silence in the boardroom was painfully awkward after the CEO dismissed the proposal without a second thought.”
Synonymsexcruciatinglyintensely - 03 C1 Advanced
in a way that is very poor or of low quality.
used to describe a performance or situation that is remarkably poor or inadequate.
Simple“The play was painfully acted, and many people left before the end.”
In context“The presentation was painfully delivered, lacking both the necessary data and any sense of professional engagement with the audience.”
SynonymsAntonyms
“When I pick up a violin, I am painfully aware of how far backwards I have slipped.”
“Painfully shy, she preferred making up stories about her paper dolls to playing with other children.”
From Middle English peinfully, paynefully, equivalent to painful + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.