adjective
Causing physical pain in your body.
The cut is still painful.
It was painful to walk on my injured foot.
Common phrases & grammar
painful injury · painful cut · painful movement
be painful
be painful to + verb
American English
How to pronounce painful
adjectiveB1Common word
PAYNfl
/ˈpʰeɪn.fl̩/
2 syllables · Stress the first syllable.
Causing physical pain in your body.
Practice out loudMeanings & examples
adjective
Causing strong sadness or emotional suffering.
It was painful to say goodbye to her.
He has painful memories of the war.
Common phrases & grammar
painful memories · painful reminder · painful experience · painful truth
be painful to + verb
painful memories of + noun
adjective
Very difficult or unpleasant to deal with or accept, especially because it involves loss, failure, or a hard choice.
The company made a painful decision to close the store.
Learning from that mistake was a painful process.
Common phrases & grammar
painful decision · painful process · painful lesson
a painful decision to + verb
a painful process of + gerund