Painful

Pronunciation: /ˈpeɪnfəl/

Definitions of painful

adjective causing physical or emotional pain

Example Sentences

A1 I have a painful toothache.

A2 She fell down and had a painful bruise on her knee.

B1 The surgery was painful, but necessary for her health.

B2 The breakup was painful, but she knew it was for the best.

C1 The loss of a loved one can be a deeply painful experience.

C2 The memories of the war are still painfully vivid in his mind.

Examples of painful in a Sentence

formal The surgical procedure was quite painful, but necessary for her recovery.

informal I stubbed my toe and it was so painful, I couldn't walk properly for days.

slang I heard getting a tattoo on your ribcage is super painful.

figurative The loss of a loved one can be a painful experience that takes time to heal from.

Grammatical Forms of painful

• past tense: pained
• plural: painfuls
• comparative: more painful
• superlative: most painful
• present tense: pain
• future tense: will pain
• perfect tense: have pained
• continuous tense: is paining
• singular: painful
• positive degree: painful
• infinitive: to pain
• gerund: paining
• participle: pained

Origin and Evolution of painful

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Old French

Story behind the word: The word 'painful' originated from the Old French word 'peineful' which derived from the Latin word 'poena' meaning punishment or penalty.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'painful' has retained its original meaning of causing physical or emotional pain, but has also expanded to describe situations or experiences that are difficult, distressing, or challenging.