1
: feeling pain : hurt
2
: expressing or involving pain
a pained expression
with pained surprise

Examples of pained in a Sentence

She wore a pained expression on her face. He truly looked pained when he heard the news.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The increasingly obvious awfulness of Dave’s book gives Smollett some great reaction work amid all Michelle’s pained determination. Alison Herman, Variety, 28 June 2025 Bates is pained to see teenagers (representing 12% of the city population), brazenly and without recompense, running around, destroying the lives of others, and also for those whose lives were cut short in middle age by said juveniles. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 6 June 2025 Native American children sit with pained faces, hair cut short, sadness in their eyes. Lisa Jhung, Outside Online, 23 May 2025 The camera lingers for too long on his pained, Grecian-bust features. Judy Berman, Time, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for pained

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pained was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pained.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pained. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on pained

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!