Dictionary › P › painful
painful
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Quick answer
As an adjective, painful means causing pain or distress, either physical or mental.
Meanings of painful
6 meaningsadjective
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.
now rarePainstaking; careful; industrious.
informalVery bad, poor.
“His violin playing is painful.”
Exceptionally bad or displeasing
“atrocious taste”
“abominable workmanship”
“an awful voice”
Similar: atrocious, abominable, awful, dreadful, terrible, unspeakable
Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).
Synonyms by meaning
All synonyms for painful →adjective: causing misery or pain or distress
afflictivesore
adjective: exceptionally bad or displeasing
adjective: causing physical discomfort
Oppositespainless
Words that rhyme with painful
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Scrabble & Words With Friends: valid word12 points before bonuses.7 letters.
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