painful

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Causing physical pain.

   The swollen tooth made it painful for her to eat.

2. 2
   adj

   Causing emotional distress or unhappiness.

   Leaving her hometown was a painful decision.

3. 3
   adj

   Very bad or unpleasant to watch or listen to.

   His first attempt at singing was painful to hear.

From Middle English paynful, peinful, peynful, paynefull, peynefull, equivalent to pain + -ful. Compare Danish pinefuld (“painful”).

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