painfuladjective
uk/ˈpeɪn.fəl/us/ˈpeɪn.fəl/B1 causing emotional or physical pain:
The old photograph brought back painful memories.
A painful injury forced her to withdraw from the game.
If something is painful to watch or listen to, it is so bad that it makes you feel embarrassed:
It was painful to listen to his pathetic excuses.
More examples
- an excruciatingly painful injury
- After a lengthy and painful divorce, she vowed never to remarry.
- She's already had to endure three painful operations on her leg.
- The bruising should soon become less painful.
- The argument had stirred up some painful emotions.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Pain & painful
- -racked
- achy
- agonizing
- cluster headache
- dodgy
- earache
- hell
- hurt
- masochism
- non-ulcer stomach pain
- painfully
- rack
- racking
- shooting pains
- sore
- suffering
- tender
- throb
- torment
- wince
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Saddening, shocking and upsetting
Embarrassing