painful

pain|ful [ˈpeınfəl] adj

1.) making you feel very upset, or very difficult and unpleasant for you

≠ ↑painless

painful memories/experience etc

▪ He sobbed as he recalled the painful memory.

▪ Venice was a painful reminder of her marriage.

▪ He and his wife took the painful decision to switch off their son's life support machine.

▪ the long and painful process of growing up

painful to do sth

▪ It can be painful to leave the house in which you were born.

painful for/to

▪ The divorce was painful for both of us.

▪ Even hearing his name was painful to her.

2.) if a part of your body is painful, it hurts

▪ stiff, painful joints

▪ Is your arm very painful?

▪ The neck becomes swollen and painful to the touch (=hurts when you touch it) .

3.) causing physical pain

▪ a painful blow on the head

excruciatingly/extremely painful

▪ an excruciatingly painful death

painful to do sth

▪ He was finding it painful to breathe.

4.) if someone's behaviour or a performance is painful, it is so bad that it embarrasses people

painful to watch/listen/hear to etc

▪ It's painful to watch her making the best of a terrible script.

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HINT

Do not use painful to mean 'feeling pain': He didn't feel much pain (NOT feel very painful) at first!

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