What does "pain" mean?
An ache or bodily suffering, or an instance of this; an unpleasant sensation, resulting from a derangement of functions, disease, or injury by violence; hurt.
Pain
/peɪn/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An ache or bodily suffering, or an instance of this; an unpleasant sensation, resulting from a derangement of functions, disease, or injury by violence; hurt.
- Grammar: pain is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: annoyance, nuisance, abscess, ache.
- Useful contrasts: hedonic happiness, anaesthetizing, analgesia.
- Usage evidence: When I have migraines, aspirin doesn't alleviate the pain for me.
How to use "pain"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pain" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pain" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pain" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pain" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pain" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "annoyance" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pain", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An ache or bodily suffering, or an instance of this; an unpleasant sensation, resulting from a derangement of functions, disease, or injury by violence; hurt. countable, uncountable
"The greatest difficulty lies in treating patients with chronic pain."
- 2 Any of various breads stuffed with a filling. obsolete
"gammon pain; Spanish pain"
- 3 Acronym of pan-assay interference compound. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 4 a somatic sensation of acute discomfort wordnet
- 5 An ache or bodily suffering, or an instance of this; an unpleasant sensation, resulting from a derangement of functions, disease, or injury by violence; hurt.; The pangs or sufferings of childbirth, caused by contractions of the uterus. countable, plural-normally, uncountable
"When the pains are every five minutes and quite strong or the cervix is five cm. dilated along with regular and strong pains, the mother is given a block anesthesia of 1 cc. of 1:200 nupercaine, 1 cc. of 10 per cent dextrose with .05 cc. of 1:1000 adrenalin."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness wordnet
- 7 The condition or fact of suffering or anguish especially mental, as opposed to pleasure; torment; distress uncountable
"In the final analysis, pain is a fact of life."
- 8 emotional distress; a fundamental feeling that people try to avoid wordnet
- 9 An annoying person or thing. countable
"Your mother is a right pain."
- 10 a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder wordnet
- 11 Suffering inflicted as punishment or penalty. dated, uncountable
"You may not leave this room on pain of death."
- 12 Labour; effort; great care or trouble taken in doing something. countable, in-plural, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To hurt; to put to bodily uneasiness or anguish; to afflict with uneasy sensations of any degree of intensity; to torment; to torture. transitive
"The wound pained him."
- 2 cause bodily suffering to and make sick or indisposed wordnet
- 3 To render uneasy in mind; to disquiet; to distress; to grieve. transitive
"It pains me to say that I must let you go."
- 4 cause emotional anguish or make miserable wordnet
- 5 To inflict suffering upon as a penalty; to punish. obsolete, transitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To feel pain; to hurt. India, intransitive
"Please help me, I am paining hard."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"When I have migraines, aspirin doesn't alleviate the pain for me."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pain"?
Common synonyms include: annoyance, nuisance, abscess, ache, ache, aches.
How do you use "pain" in a sentence?
When I have migraines, aspirin doesn't alleviate the pain for me.
How do you pronounce "pain"?
Pronounced /peɪn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English peyne, payne, from Old French and Anglo-Norman peine, paine, from Latin poena (“punishment, pain”), from Ancient Greek ποινή (poinḗ, “bloodmoney, weregild, fine, price paid, penalty”), from Proto-Hellenic *kʷoinā́, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷoynéh₂ (“payment”) (whence also Proto-Slavic *cěnà (“price”)). Doublet of peine. Compare Danish pine, Norwegian Bokmål pine, German Pein, Dutch pijn, Afrikaans pyn. See also pine (the verb). Partly displaced native Old English sār (whence Modern English sore).
Etymology 2
From Middle English payn (“a kind of pie with a soft crust”), from Old French pain (“bread”).
Etymology 3
Various origins: * A variant of Paine. * Borrowed from Spanish Paín.
Etymology 4
Backformation from pain (“pain in the ass”)