Definition of “painful” - English Dictionary

English

“painful” in English

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painfuladjective

uk ​ /ˈpeɪn.fəl/ us ​ /ˈpeɪn.fəl/

B1 causing emotional or physical pain:

The old photograph brought back painful memories.
A painful injury forced her to withdraw from the game.

› If something is painful to watch or listen to, it is so bad that it makes you feel embarrassed:

It was painful to listen to his pathetic excuses.

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(Definition of “painful” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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