painful

adjective
UK: /ˈpeɪn.fəl/
US: /ˈpeɪn.fəl/

  1. Causing physical or emotional pain.

    1. The injury was very painful, and he couldn't walk well after. [ ] [ ]
    2. The painful memory of losing the competition still haunts her today. [ ] [ ]

  2. Difficult or unpleasant.

    1. It was a painful process to fill out all these documents. [ ] [ ]
    2. The company is undergoing a painful restructuring to cut costs. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

unpleasant sore difficult agonizing aching
painful adverb

  1. In a way that causes pain.

    1. She walked painful after the accident. [ ] [ ]
    2. The truth was painfully obvious, but nobody wanted to admit it. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "painful" in English means: Causing physical or emotional pain., Difficult or unpleasant..

The phonetic transcription of "painful" is /ˈpeɪn.fəl/ in British English and /ˈpeɪn.fəl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "painful": unpleasant, sore, difficult, agonizing, aching.

Example usage of "painful": "The injury was very painful, and he couldn't walk well after.". More examples on the page.