painful

Everyday

1. Painful means causing pain or hurting. tree →
2. Painful means making you feel sad, upset or embarrassed. tree →
3. Painful can mean very hard or slow to watch or do. tree →

In the lessons

In health and first-aid lessons pupils describe painful injuries (a painful knee, a painful bee sting) and tell an adult when something is painful. In feelings lessons a painful memory or a painful goodbye. Phrases: a painful injury, painful to watch, painfully slow, painful memory.

Examples

• My sprained ankle was very painful. tree →
• A bee sting can be painful. tree →
• Tell the nurse where it is painful. tree →
• Saying goodbye to our dog was painful. tree →
• It was painful to watch our team lose. tree →
• The splinter was small but painful. tree →
• The scene of past sufferings revives painful memories. tree →

Note

Adjective from «pain» + «-ful» (one l). Adverb: painfully. Opposite: painless. Do not confuse «painful» (it hurts you) with «in pain» (you are hurting): «My knee is painful» / «I am in pain».