adj
painful
PAYN-fl
adj
1
Causing physical or emotional pain.
"The burn was extremely painful."
"It was painful to watch the team lose so badly."
2
Informal: very bad or embarrassing in quality.
"His singing was frankly painful to listen to."
How to Use Painful
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishHurting physically or emotionally, or, casually, just really bad.
Common pairings
painful memory
painfully slow
painful process
Word Forms
painfuller comparative, more painful comparative, painfullest superlative, most painful superlative
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The burn was extremely _____.