Dictionary

painful en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈpeɪn.fl̩/
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English paynful, peinful, peynful, paynefull, peynefull, equivalent to pain + -ful. Compare Danish pinefuld (“painful”).

Meanings

1. Causing pain or distress, either physical or mental.
   • A rackingly painful disease that affects the joints and finally cripples, it is caused by an imbalance of uric acid in the system. 2014, Charles L. Mee, Jr, Lorenzo de Medici:
   • In a 2008 case report from India, doctors described removing a giant tonsillolith that was making it painful for a young patient to swallow. 2009 September 1, Elizabeth Svoboda, “In Tonsils, a Problem the Size of a Pea”, in The New York Times:
2. Afflicted or suffering with pain (of a body part or, formerly, of a person).
3. Requiring effort or labor; difficult, laborious.
4. (archaic) Painstaking; careful; industrious.
   • For twenty generations, here was the earthly arena where painful living men worked out their life-wrestle 1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, chapter 2, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book II (The Ancient Monk):
   • To all these painful labourers Johnson shewed a never-ceasing kindness, so far as they stood in need of it. 1791, James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson:
   • The men bestow their times in fishing, hunting, warres, and such manlike exercises, scorning to be seene in any woman-like exercise, which is the cause that the women be very painefull, and the men often idle. 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, Kupperman, published 1988, page 142:
5. (informal) Very bad, poor.
   • His violin playing is painful.

Forms

Antonyms

pleasant · painless · painfree · painfree · acheless · unaching · agreeable · painless · pain-free · painless

Deriveds

painful on the eyes · prepainful · painful bladder syndrome · nonpainful · painfulness · overpainful · unpainful · painfully

Hyponyms

agonized · splitting · recrudescent

Relateds

agonizing

Synonyms

griefful · groanful · torturous · irksome · doleful · bruising · hurty · smartful · sore · excruciating · hurtful · tormented · achesome · sorrowful · achy · painable · wrenchful · suffering · smarting · hurt · tormenting · pained · annoying · painful · aching · ailsome · excruciating · smartful · agonizing · hellish · tormentous · laborious · painfilled · torturous · raw · tender · painful · unpleasant · terrible · exerting

Translations (134)

hi दुःखी (suffering with pain) · cs bolavý (causing pain) · pt dolorido (causing pain) · ja 痛い (suffering with pain) · ca dolorós (causing pain) · el οδυνηρός (causing pain) · fi työläs (requiring labor or toil) · pt doído (suffering with pain) · haw ʻeha (suffering with pain) · ru мучи́тельный (causing pain) · sk boľavý (causing pain) · ja 骨の折れる (requiring labor or toil) · nn smertefull (causing pain) · nl smartelijk (requiring labor or toil) · nl moeizaam (requiring labor or toil) · sk bolestivý (causing pain) · sv smärtsam (causing pain) · cmn 艱苦的 /艰苦的 (requiring labor or toil) · ru тя́гостный (requiring labor or toil) · cmn 疼痛的 (causing pain) · sv smärtsam (suffering with pain) · fr douloureux (causing pain) · ja 痛い (causing pain) · txb laklese (causing pain) · mi tārūrū (causing pain) · be балю́чы (causing pain) · es adolorido (suffering with pain) · haw ʻeha (causing pain) · fi tuskallinen (causing pain) · it doloroso (causing pain) · oc dolorós (causing pain) · ga pianúil (causing pain) · mi tārūrū (suffering with pain) · nb smertefull (causing pain) · mba masakit (suffering with pain) · mk болен (causing pain) · sh бо̑лан (causing pain) · fi kivulias (causing pain) · ru тя́жкий (requiring labor or toil) · tl masakit (suffering with pain) · gun axy (suffering with pain) · el επώδυνος (causing pain) · mi pāwera (suffering with pain) · lt skausmingas (causing pain) · ga pianmhar (causing pain) · hi दुखदायी (causing pain) · bcl makulog (causing pain) · de schmerzhaft (causing pain) · el επίπονος (requiring labor or toil) · ka მტკივნეული (causing pain) · eo dolora (causing pain) · grc λυπηρός (causing pain) · mi tārū (causing pain) · sa दुःख (causing pain) · es doloroso (causing pain) · ja 痛みの伴う (causing pain) · ga piantach (causing pain) · cs bolestivý (suffering with pain) · pt árduo (requiring labor or toil) · pl bolesny (suffering with pain) · mi hīrawerawe (causing pain) · es dolorido (suffering with pain) · el επώδυνος (suffering with pain) · ar مُوجِع (causing pain) · ru больно́й (suffering with pain) · mi hīrawerawe (suffering with pain) · mi pāwerawera (causing pain) · hu fájdalmas (causing pain) · pl bolesny (causing pain) · el λυπηρός (causing pain) · bg мъчи́телен (causing pain) · cmn 痛苦的 (suffering with pain) · gun axy (causing pain) · it doloroso (suffering with pain) · eo dolora (suffering with pain) · war maul-ul (causing pain) · cmn 吃力的 (requiring labor or toil) · hi दुखी (suffering with pain) · ga piantúil (causing pain) · fa دردناک (suffering with pain) · bg боле́знен (causing pain) · ru тяжёлый (requiring labor or toil) · hu fáradságos (requiring labor or toil) · pt extenuante (requiring labor or toil) · cs bolestivý (causing pain) · pt doloroso (causing pain) · bg тру́ден (requiring labor or toil) · hi दुखदायक (causing pain) · vi đau đớn (suffering with pain) · uk бо́лісний (causing pain) · cmn 疼痛的 (suffering with pain) · uk болю́чий (causing pain) · ang sār (causing pain) · ro dureros (causing pain) · da smertefuld (causing pain) · ko 아프다 (suffering with pain) · war masu-ol (causing pain) · bg бо́лен (causing pain) · ar مُؤْلِم (causing pain) · mi tārū (suffering with pain) · izh vaivakas (causing pain) · fi raskas (requiring labor or toil) · hu nehéz (requiring labor or toil) · mi pāwera (causing pain) · grc ὀδυνηρός (causing pain) · da smertelig (causing pain) · fi rasittava (requiring labor or toil) · ja 困難な (requiring labor or toil) · fi tuskallinen (suffering with pain) · la dolens (suffering with pain) · bcl makulog (suffering with pain) · tl masakit (causing pain) · sl boleč (causing pain) · ru боле́зненный (causing pain) · ja 苦しい (requiring labor or toil) · fr laborieux (requiring labor or toil) · cmn 痛苦的 (causing pain) · tsg masakit (causing pain) · la laboriosus (requiring labor or toil) · bg бо́лен (suffering with pain) · cs bolestný (suffering with pain) · hi दुखद (causing pain) · ga pianach (causing pain) · cs bolestný (causing pain) · pt dolorido (suffering with pain) · ko 아프다 (causing pain) · gl doloroso (causing pain) · ga léanmhar (causing pain) · ar أَلِيم (causing pain) · ru больно́й (causing pain) · fi kivulias (suffering with pain) · sh bȏlan (causing pain) · grc ἐπώδυνος (causing pain) · fi kipeä (suffering with pain)