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Word a Day

painful

adjective · /ˈpeɪnfl̩/ · Level 1 · Starter

What does painful mean?

painful (adjective): causing misery or pain or distress.

Definition: Princeton WordNet 3.1.

How do you pronounce painful?

/ˈpeɪnfl̩/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.

Where does painful come from?

From Middle English paynful, peinful, peynful, paynefull, peynefull, equivalent to pain + -ful.

Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What are synonyms of painful?

From Princeton WordNet 3.1.

Test yourself: do you know “painful”?

Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.

What does “painful” mean?

collective, done or held in common

Not quite: that's what mutual means.

causing misery or pain or distress

Right! That's what “painful” means.

easily or conveniently transported

Not quite: that's what portable means.

in regular succession without gaps

Not quite: that's what serial means.

Which word is closest in meaning to “painful”?

next

Not quite: next means something else.

left

Not quite: left means something else.

sore

Right!

free

Not quite: free means something else.

Learn a word like “painful” every day

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