Synonyms of painful
35 similar words · 7 opposite words
Another word for painful is suffering. Other synonyms of painful are hurt, tender, sore, agonizing and aching. The opposite of painful is pain-free.
Synonyms and similar words for painful
adjectiveCausing pain or distress, either physical or mental.
- excruciating
- torturousPainful, excruciating, torturing.
- agonizingCausing physical or mental agony.
- ailsomeCharacterised or marked by ailing; difficult, painful, or unpleasant.
- hellishCausing great pain, discomfort or distress.
- hurtful
- bruising
- terrible
- tormentingInvolving or causing torment.
- unpleasantNot pleasant.
- groanful obsoleteAgonizing; painful.
- painable obsoletePainful.
- tormentous dated, rareInvolving or causing torment; having the nature of torture.
- wrenchful rareCausing great pain, suffering, or agony; painful.
adjectiveAfflicted or suffering with pain (of a body part or, formerly, of a person).
adjectiveRequiring effort or labor; difficult, laborious.
adjectiveMore synonyms
- achesomeCharacterised or marked by aching; painful.
- achingThat aches; continuously painful; that causes pain.
- achyWith or suffering from aches; sore.
- raw
- hurtFeeling physical or emotional pain.
- hurtyCausing hurt; painful.
- painedIn pain, especially in an emotional sense.
- painfilledFilled with pain.
- smartingPainful, sore.
- soreCausing pain or discomfort; painfully sensitive.
- sufferingExperiencing pain; characterized by suffering.
- tenderSensitive or painful to the touch.
- tormented
- griefful archaicExpressing or full of grief; painful.
Opposite of painful
Meaning of painful
- adjective Causing pain or distress, either physical or mental.
- adjective Afflicted or suffering with pain (of a body part or, formerly, of a person).
- adjective Requiring effort or labor; difficult, laborious.
painful in other languages
Questions about synonyms of painful
- What is another word for painful?
- Painful has 35 synonyms on Word.ws, such as suffering, hurt, tender, sore, agonizing, aching, hellish and pained.
- What is the opposite of painful?
- The opposite of painful is pain-free.
- What does painful mean?
- Painful means causing pain or distress, either physical or mental.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: painful (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of painful.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/painful. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.