Synonyms for painful
ˈpeɪn fəlpainful

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. painfuladjective

   Causing pain or distress, either physical or mental.

   Antonyms:
   painfree, painless

2. painfuladjective

   Synonyms:
   doleful, irksome, sorrowful, annoying

3. painfuladjective

   Synonyms:
   laborious, exerting

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. painful

   Synonyms:
   depressing, disappointing, distressing, hateful, horrible, melancholy, miserable, mournful, saddening, woful, wretched

   Antonyms:
   acceptable, agreeable, congenial, delicious, delightful, grateful, gratifying, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, refreshing, satisfying, welcome

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. painful

   Synonyms:
   afflicting, distressful, grieving, grievous, excruciating

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. painfuladjective

   causing physical or psychological pain

   "worked with painful slowness"

   Synonyms:
   irritating, terrible, unspeakable, awful, afflictive, atrocious, abominable, sore, dreadful

   Antonyms:
   unpainful, good, painless, pain-free, comfortable, comfy, pleasant

2. afflictive, painful, soreadjective

   causing misery or pain or distress

   "it was a sore trial to him"; "the painful process of growing up"

   Synonyms:
   mad, irritating, sensitive, huffy, raw, terrible, unspeakable, tender, awful, afflictive, atrocious, abominable, sore, dreadful

   Antonyms:
   comfortable, comfy, pleasant, good, painless, pain-free, unpainful

3. atrocious, abominable, awful, dreadful, painful, terrible, unspeakableadjective

   exceptionally bad or displeasing

   "atrocious taste"; "abominable workmanship"; "an awful voice"; "dreadful manners"; "a painful performance"; "terrible handwriting"; "an unspeakable odor came sweeping into the room"

   Synonyms:
   irritating, dreadful, indescribable, indefinable, awful, sore, odious, unnameable, execrable, horrifying, frightful, amazing, horrendous, severe, tremendous, dreaded, dire, afflictive, flagitious, grievous, monstrous, atrocious, ineffable, detestable, awing, awed, wicked, dread(a), awe-inspiring, unspeakable, horrific, nasty, terrible, horrible, abominable, frightening, unutterable, awesome, fearsome, fearful, direful, untellable, ugly

   Antonyms:
   comfortable, painless, comfy, pain-free, good, pleasant, unpainful

4. irritating, painfuladjective

   causing physical discomfort

   "bites of black flies are more than irritating; they can be very painful"

   Synonyms:
   nettlesome, annoying, afflictive, teasing, plaguy, vexing, vexatious, galling, irritative, abominable, bothersome, awful, unspeakable, plaguey, atrocious, pestiferous, terrible, pesky, dreadful, pestering, sore, irritating

   Antonyms:
   pain-free, painless, comfy, unpainful, comfortable, pleasant, good

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. painfuladjective

   Synonyms:
   tormenting, torturing, agonizing, racking, distressing, distressful, excruciating

2. painfuladjective

   Synonyms:
   grievous, afflicting, afflictive, disquieting, troublesome, displeasing, provoking, annoying, vexatious, unpleasant, disagreeable

3. painfuladjective

   Synonyms:
   toilsome, arduous, difficult, hard, severe

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. painfuladjective

   Synonyms:
   distressing, agonizing, excruciating, dolorous, racking, toilsome, arduous, difficult

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "painful":

   distressing, bitter, agonizing, sore, embarrassing, harrowing, sad, grievous, hurtful, difficult, dire, laborious, painstaking, arduous

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How to use painful in a sentence?

1. Ethan Kross:

   Helpful inner monologue isn't always positive in the sense that sometimes, in working through the bad stuff, we learn from our mistakes, that sometimes involves revisiting painful experiences, extracting some important insight that helps us move on and improve.

2. Buddha, The Dharmapada:

   Do not speak harshly to any one; those who are spoken to will answer thee in the same way. Angry speech is painful: blows for blows will touch thee.

3. Francis Bacon:

   It is as natural to die as to be born; and to a little infant perhaps the one is as painful as the other.

4. Steve Mellin:

   There is so much death and loss and devastation in this case, it's hard to know where to begin, the defendant planted a bomb that led to painful eulogies and terrifying memories. Surviving family members were left to attend to funerals and live lives with bittersweet memories of those lost forever and painful reminders of what could have been.

5. Tom Angell:

   Dr. Murthy's comments add to a growing consensus in the medical community that marijuana can help people suffering from painful conditions.