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, painful, 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, painful, 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, painful, 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. Thomas H. Kean:

   The most painful death in all the world is the death of a child. When a child dies, when one child dies-not the 11 per 1,000 we talk about statistically, but the one that a mother held briefly in her arms-he leaves an empty place in a parent's heart that will never heal.

2. Alistair Baskey:

   We have heard concerns expressed by some family members about their interaction and communication with U.S. government officials and the amount of information that can be shared about these efforts, we understand this is incredibly difficult and painful for the families and we appreciate their feedback.

3. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin:

   It is painful enough when we lose members of our armed forces when they are sent in harm's way, but it is unfathomable that they should be vulnerable for attack in our own communities.

4. Denis Watley:

   Mistakes are painful when they happen, but years later a collection of mistakes is what is called experience.

5. Carlos Curbelo:

   Carlos Curbelo mentioned that Carlos Curbelo daughter Ivanka had encouraged Carlos Curbelo to end this, and he said Carlos Curbelo does recognize that it needs to end and the images are painful and Carlos Curbelo's looking for a legislative solution, carlos Curbelo discussed the optics and the policy itself and I think Carlos Curbelo's not comfortable with either.