painfulness
/ˈpān-fəl How to pronounce painful (audio)/ (ame, mw)
painfulness — 形容詞
- painfulnesspositive
- more painfulnesscomparative
- most painfulnesssuperlative
1. causing a hurt or uncomfortable feeling in a part of the body, so that you suffe
疼痛的
引起身體疼痛或不適的
causing a hurt or uncomfortable feeling in a part of the body, so that you suffer or feel distress
Caio's knee was still painful three weeks after he fell off his bicycle.
Caio 摔下腳踏車三個星期後，膝蓋仍然很痛。
painful + body part describing injury
When the nurse touched the wound, it was so painful Linh bit her lip.
護士碰到傷口時，痛得 Linh 咬住了嘴唇。
passive: [body part] + was + painful
A painful rash spread across Tara's arms after she touched the poison ivy.
Tara 碰到毒藤後，手臂上起了一片疼痛的皮疹。
William's ankle became painfully swollen after he twisted it playing basketball.
William 打籃球扭傷了腳踝，腫得非常痛。
- painless
causing no physical discomfort at all
用法筆記
This sense describes a physical sensation. The subject is typically a body part or a medical condition. Do not use this sense for emotional hurt — see sense 2 for that.
常見錯誤
2. causing feelings of irritation, annoyance, or mental discomfort; unpleasant in a
惱人的
令人煩躁或不愉快的
causing feelings of irritation, annoyance, or mental discomfort; unpleasant in a way that makes you want it to stop
It was painful to watch Noor struggle with the same computer error for an hour.
看著 Noor 為了同一個電腦錯誤苦惱了一個小時，真是令人難受。
it is painful to [do something] — describing an unpleasant experience
The awkward silence after his joke was painful, and everyone looked at their plates.
他的笑話之後那段尷尬的沉默令人難受，每個人都低頭看著自己的盤子。
painful + social situation describing interpersonal awkwardness
Lan found her neighbour's constant phone conversations painfully loud through the thin walls.
Lan 覺得鄰居隔著薄牆不斷講電話的聲音吵得令人受不了。
There was a painful silence after Wren accidentally mentioned Tomás's ex-girlfriend at dinner.
Wren 在晚餐時不小心提到了 Tomás 的前女友，現場一陣難堪的沉默。
- irritating
slightly milder; focuses on the feeling of being bothered
- excruciating
much stronger; suggests extreme annoyance or discomfort
- unbearable
suggests the situation is so bad you cannot continue
- pleasant
giving a feeling of enjoyment or satisfaction
文法句型
it is painful to [do something]
用法筆記
Often used with an infinitive clause (it is painful to watch/listen/hear) or with painfully + adjective to intensify a negative quality. Unlike sense 1, this does not refer to physical pain.
常見錯誤
3. requiring a great deal of physical or mental effort over a long period; difficul
費力的
需要耗費大量心力體力的
requiring a great deal of physical or mental effort over a long period; difficult and tiring to do
Restoring the farmhouse was a painful process for Ilan and his father.
整修那棟老房子是一段費力的過程，Ilan 和父親花了整整兩個暑假才完成。
painful + process/task — emphasises the effort required
Tanvi's research progressed painfully slowly since every source was in French.
Tanvi 的研究進展極為緩慢，因為每一份資料都是法文。
painfully + adjective (painfully slow progress)
Learning classical Chinese characters was a painful task for the first-year students.
對一年級學生來說，學習文言文是一項費力的任務。
Mei spent a painful afternoon struggling to assemble the bookshelf from a poorly translated manual.
Mei 花了一整個下午，辛苦地按照一本翻譯不佳的說明書組裝書架。
- effortless
requiring no physical or mental exertion
用法筆記
This sense applies to tasks, processes, journeys, climbs, or sustained efforts. The 'pain' here is the exertion and difficulty over time, not emotional irritation. Often used with "process", "task", "climb", "progress" or paired with "painfully" before adjectives describing slowness or difficulty ("painfully slow", "painfully difficult").
常見錯誤
4. done with extremely careful and thorough attention to every small detail, often
仔細的
極度細心且一絲不苟的
done with extremely careful and thorough attention to every small detail, often to the point of being overly exact
The editor gave the manuscript a painful revision, catching every misplaced comma and awkward phrase.
編輯對稿件進行了極為仔細的校訂，找出每一個放錯位置的逗號和彆扭的句子。
painful + revision / examination — used to describe thorough effort
Luca's painful attention to the grain direction made the wooden tabletop almost perfectly smooth.
Luca 對木紋方向一絲不苟的講究，讓那張木桌的桌面幾乎完美平滑。
painful + attention to [detail] — the most common pattern for this sense
The jeweller examined the diamond with painful care, noting every tiny flaw.
珠寶商極其仔細地檢查那顆鑽石，記下每一道微小瑕疵。
Joanna's painful scrutiny of the contract revealed a hidden clause that saved the company thousands.
Joanna 對合約一絲不苟的審查發現了一項隱藏條款，為公司省下了數千元。
- meticulous
more common; similar meaning but less intense
- painstaking
the closest synonym; emphasises careful effort
- thorough
broader; does not carry the 'extreme effort' flavour
- careless
not giving enough attention or thought
文法句型
painful + attention / care / examination
用法筆記
This sense is formal and almost always appears before nouns like "care", "attention", "examination", or "scrutiny". It does not mean the person is literally in pain — it means the level of care is so thorough that it seems to cost great effort.