pained

adjective

ˈpānd How to pronounce pained (audio)
Synonyms of painednext
1
: feeling pain : hurt
2
: expressing or involving pain
a pained expression
with pained surprise

Examples of pained in a Sentence

She wore a pained expression on her face. He truly looked pained when he heard the news.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
A lot of this work is almost unreadable now, the pained efforts of young eggheads twisting themselves into rhetorical knots over the moral conundrums posed by real-world applications of Marxist principles. — Literary Hub, 21 July 2026 Just as the young woman is set to return to her hometown following the end of her postgraduate studies, a girl’s body is discovered there, unravelling painful memories of past trauma and sending Sofia through a pained process of self-reflection. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 9 July 2026 Sunday night, Mexican Americans said no más to our pained past. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026 Others, pained and visibly annoyed, force the issue. — Joseph Trinidad, Longreads, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for pained

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pained was in the 14th century

Rhymes for pained

See All Rhymes for pained

Browse Nearby Words

Paine
pained
painful
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pained.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pained. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pained

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pained

Nglish: Translation of pained for Spanish Speakers

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