pain
/peɪn/ IELTSAcademic
noun
- 1.
A feeling of physical suffering caused by injury, illness, or pressure. It can be sharp, dull, or constant.
- She felt pain in her knee.
- The cut caused a sharp pain.
- Pain kept him awake at night.
- 2.
Mental or emotional suffering caused by sadness, loss, or disappointment.
- The breakup caused deep pain.
- Her words brought him pain.
- He spoke about the pain of losing his job.
- 3.
Something that is annoying, difficult, or troublesome.
- Traffic is a real pain in the morning.
- The form was a pain to fill out.
- Finding parking was a pain.
verb
To cause someone physical or emotional suffering; used mainly in formal or literary English.
- It pains me to see her upset.
- The injury pained him for weeks.
- His decision pained his family.
Adinary Nuance
Pain is stronger and more serious than hurt. Use hurt for a smaller injury or feeling, but pain often suggests stronger suffering or a clear medical problem. For emotions, pain sounds deeper and heavier than sadness or disappointment.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- đau đớn
- Spanish
- dolor
- Chinese
- 疼痛
- Japanese
- 痛み
- Korean
- 통증
Etymology
Pain came into English from Old French in the Middle Ages. It goes back to Latin poena, meaning “punishment” or “penalty.”
Common phrases
pain in the neckpain reliefpain thresholdpain and suffering
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between pain and hurt?
- Pain is the feeling itself. Hurt is often used for a minor injury or the act of injuring something.
- Is pain countable or uncountable?
- Usually, it is uncountable: “He is in pain.” It can be countable when talking about different pains or repeated feelings.
- Is pain formal or common English?
- It is very common in everyday English. The verb pain is more formal and less common.
- Can I say “a pain” in informal English?
- Yes. It can mean something annoying or troublesome, like “This delay is a pain.”