The meaning of PAINFUL is feeling or giving pain. How to use painful in a sentence.

PAINFUL meaning: 1. causing emotional or physical pain: 2. If something is painful to watch or listen to, it is so…. Learn more.

If something such as an illness, injury, or operation is painful, it causes you a lot of physical pain. ...a painful back injury. Sunburn is painful and potentially dangerous.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025 pain•ful (pān′ fəl), adj. affected with, causing, or characterized by pain: a painful wound; a painful night; a painful …

Define painful. painful synonyms, painful pronunciation, painful translation, English dictionary definition of painful. adj. 1. Full of or giving pain: a painful shoulder; painful walking.

Definition of painful adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

We can't ignore our country's painful history of slavery. His questions brought up a lot of painful memories. It was painful to watch.

PAINFUL definition: 1. causing emotional or physical pain: 2. If something is painful to watch or listen to, it is so…. Learn more.

Synonyms for PAINFUL: sore, aching, hurting, damaging, hurtful, injurious, swollen, nasty; Antonyms of PAINFUL: painless, helping, remedial, healing, indolent, curative, sweet, gratifying

21 hours ago · Jennifer Garner Discusses Painful End To Ben Affleck Marriage: 'I Could Not Handle What Was Out There' The two actors were married in 2005 and later split in 2015.