pain

/pein/
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pain

Washing dishes was a pain before we got a dishwasher.

Definition
  1. Noun:

    • Physical suffering or discomfort: An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.
    • Mental or emotional suffering: A state of emotional distress or unhappiness.
    • A source of annoyance or trouble: A person or thing that is very annoying or causes difficulty.
  2. Verb:

    • To cause physical pain: To inflict bodily suffering or discomfort.
    • To cause emotional distress: To make someone feel sad, upset, or hurt.
Usage Examples
  • Noun (Physical):

    • She felt a sharp pain in her knee.
    • The medicine helps to relieve the pain.
  • Noun (Emotional):

    • He spoke about the pain of losing his father.
    • Her harsh words caused him great pain.
  • Noun (Annoyance):

    • That constant noise is a real pain.
    • He can be such a pain when he's in a bad mood.
  • Verb:

    • It pains me to admit that I was wrong.
    • My back is paining me again today.
Advanced Usage
  • "To be a pain in the neck": To be very annoying or troublesome.

    • That repetitive task is a real pain in the neck.
  • "To take pains": To make a special effort or take great care to do something.

    • She took great pains to ensure the report was accurate.
  • "On/under pain of": With the threat of a specified punishment if one disobeys.

    • They were forbidden to speak, on pain of death.
Variants and Related Words
  • Painful (adj): Causing physical or emotional pain.

    • It was a painful memory.
  • Painless (adj): Not causing or involving pain.

    • The procedure was quick and painless.
  • Painstaking (adj): Done with great care and thoroughness.

    • He did a painstaking analysis of the data.
Synonyms
  • Noun (Suffering): Ache, agony, discomfort, distress, hurt, soreness, torment.
  • Noun (Annoyance): Bother, nuisance, irritation, hassle.
  • Verb: Ache, hurt, distress, torment, trouble.
Phrasal Verbs

(The word 'pain' is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its meanings are typically expressed directly.)

Related Idioms
  • "No pain, no gain": You have to work hard or endure difficulty to achieve something.

    • The training is tough, but remember: no pain, no gain.
  • "A pain in the ass/butt/backside" (informal, vulgar): Similar to "a pain in the neck," meaning a source of extreme annoyance.

    • Filling out all these forms is a pain in the ass.
pain

Washing dishes was a pain before we got a dishwasher.

Noun
  1. something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness
    • washing dishes was a nuisance before we got a dish washer
    • a bit of a bother
    • he's not a friend, he's an infliction
  2. a bothersome annoying person
    • that kid is a terrible pain
  3. a somatic sensation of acute discomfort
    • as the intensity increased the sensation changed from tickle to pain
  4. emotional distress; a fundamental feeling that people try to avoid
    • the pain of loneliness
  5. a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
    • the patient developed severe pain and distension
Verb
  1. cause emotional anguish or make miserable
    • It pains me to see my children not being taught well in school
  2. cause bodily suffering to and make sick or indisposed