painful
English meaning: Painful
Definition
Causing physical or emotional pain. It describes something that hurts.
Example
“The injection was less painful than I expected.”
Another example: “Admitting he was wrong was a painful but necessary first step.”
Usage — When, Where & How
Very common adjective describing anything that causes physical or emotional pain, from a 'painful injury' to a 'painful decision' or memory. Neutral register, used in both medical and figurative contexts.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From 'pain' (Latin 'poena', penalty) plus the suffix '-ful'.
Synonyms
Antonyms / Opposites
- painless
- soothing
- pleasant
Related Words
Common Collocations
- painful experience
- extremely painful
- painful memory
- painful injury
- painful decision
- painful reminder
Word Forms
pain (n); painful (adj); painfully (adv); painless (adj)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B