painful

adjective

Causing pain or distress, either physical or mental.

Afflicted or suffering with pain (of a body part or, formerly, of a person).

Requiring effort or labor; difficult, laborious.

(informal) Very bad, poor.

(archaic) Painstaking; careful; industrious.

Roots

poenapain- · Latin · penalty, punishment

Synonyms for painful

afflictiveadj excruciatingadj algeticadj soreadj irritatingadj agonizingadj harrowingadj torturousadj discomfortingn distressingadj achingn distressfuladj arduousadj unpleasantadj poignantadj gruelingadj

Synonyms & related words for painful

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of painful — including afflictive, excruciating, algetic, sore, irritating, agonizing. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to painful

Explore words related to painful — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include wrenching, excruciatingly, afflictively, awful, terrible, dreadful, painfulness, unspeakable. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for painful

Common synonyms for painful include afflictive, excruciating, algetic, sore, irritating, agonizing, harrowing, torturous — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does painful come from?

The word painful breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root pain-, from Latin poena (“penalty, punishment”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.