painful

pain-ful · adjective

imported

Definitions

adjective

  1. 1.

    Causing physical pain or discomfort.

  2. 2.

    Causing emotional distress or suffering.

  3. 3.

    Difficult or tedious; requiring great effort.

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    painfully slow — extremely slow in a frustrating way
  • •
    painfully obvious — very clearly evident

Related words

Antonyms: comfortable, painless, pleasant
See also: agonizing, hurtful, pain, painless
Synonyms: agonizing, distressing, hurtful, sore

Etymology

From English pain + suffix -ful ("full of").