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. Kerry Stutzman:

   The pandemic has been a reset to how a lot of families think about family life and what matters, it's been painful, and we've lost things in it, but I think we've also gained something so important... more connection with the people that matter the most to us.

2. Mike Hamilton:

   In some cases organizations are a little too ready to transfer this kind of risk through insurance. They think that that's a real healthy backstop and they can avoid doing some of the other, more painful investments in security.

3. J. William Fulbright:

   It is amazing how soon one becomes accustomed to the sound of ones voice, when forced to repeat a speech five or six times a day. As election day approaches, the size of the crowds grows; they are more responsive and more interested; and one derives a certain exhilaration from that which, only a few weeks before, was intensely painful. This is one possible explanation of unlimited debate in the Senate.

4. Bindu Khanna:

   I lost relatives and friends to the pandemic. The prayer meetings through virtual calls were so painful.

5. Jorge Sampaoli:

   This is very painful, especially since the players have made a huge effort, it was a very, very difficult game, the players gave everything on the pitch but they have not achieve the goal here in Russia.