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pain Definition

pain (pān)

noun

  1. penalty or punishment: obs. except in on (or upon or under) pain of, at the risk of bringing upon oneself (punishment, death, etc.)
  2. a sensation of hurting, or strong discomfort, in some part of the body, caused by an injury, disease, or functional disorder, and transmitted through the nervous system
  3. the distress or suffering, mental or physical, caused by great anxiety, anguish, grief, disappointment, etc.
  4. the labor of childbirth
  5. great care or effort to take pains with one's work
  6. Slang an annoyance: often used in phrases specifying a part of the body (e.g., pain in the neck)

Etymology: ME peine < OFr < L poena, penalty, punishment: see penal

transitive verb

to cause to suffer; hurt; distress

intransitive verb

to have or cause pain

pain Idioms

feel no pain

Slang to be drunk

pain Synonyms

pain

n.

  1. Suffering, physical or mental

    hurt, anguish, distress, discomfort, disorder, agony, misery, crucifixion, martyrdom, wretchedness, shock, torture, torment, passion; see also injury 1.

    Antonyms health*, well-being*, ease. *

  2. Suffering, usually physical

    ache, twinge, catch, throb, throe, spasm, cramp, gripe, stitch, torture, malady, sickness, rack, laceration, paroxysm, soreness, fever, burning, prick, torment, distress, agony, affliction, discomfort, hurt, pang, wound, strain, sting, burn, crick; see also illness 1, injury 1.

    Specific kinds of pains (including aches) include: housemaid's knee, tennis elbow, shin splint, arthritis, arthritic pain, rheumatism, inflammatory rheumatism, gout, peritonitis, bursitis, earache, headache, stomachache, bellyache, toothache, backache.

  3. Suffering, usually mental

    despondency, worry, anxiety; see depression 2, grief 1, sadness.

  4. Effort; used in plural

    effort, endeavor, care; see effort. See syn. study at effort.

feeling no pain*

intoxicated, inebriated, stoned*; see drunk.

upon <strong>or </strong>under pain of

at the risk of, in danger of, risking; see gambling.

pain Synonyms

pain

v.

distress, grieve, trouble; see hurt 1.

pain Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • relieve: It can really help to relieve lower back pain.
  • ease: Putting in insoles, & plasters, eases pain on ankles.
  • inflict: Neither of these actions were sufficiently forceful to inflict pain.
  • alleviate: The initial goal of treatment is to alleviate pain, followed by measures to reduce future fracture risk.

Adjective modifier

  • abdominal: Female pelvic organs Symptoms of painful periods Cramping lower abdominal pains are the most common symptom.
  • chronic: No hands on physical therapy is given to people with chronic muscular skeletal pain, this is policy.
  • severe: If you get severe pain and vomiting get urgent advice from your GP.
  • acute: The heart muscle, suddenly deprived of oxygen, is the site of the typical acute central chest pain.
  • pelvic: Information: I have been experiencing pelvic pain on and off for a year or so.
  • postoperative: Single dose oral ibuprofen and diclofenac for postoperative pain.

Modifies a noun

  • relief: Pain relief CD to download or buy right now!
  • killer: His lameness improved over the next week, despite receiving no pain killers.

Noun used with modifier

  • chest: Initial analysis will focus on patients with chest pain.
  • stomach: And the most disturbing: " Stomach pain and stomach ulcer with or without bleeding.
  • knee: If you experience any knee pain, stop the exercise.
  • neck: In some cases, neck pain can be a symptom of head injury or disk trouble in the neck.

Preposition: in

  • ass: Building MSI installers turns out to be almost completely a pain in the ass.
  • ass: MULDER: I'm a pain in the ass to work with.
  • abdomen: If a gallstone were responsible there would probably have been a preceding history of pain in the abdomen.

Preposition: of

childbirth: Do you think part of a mother's happiness may be because she has come through the pain of childbirth?