English Dictionary
Definition painfully in British English
painfully
adverb
What are red words?
Around 90% of spoken and written English relies on just 7,500 common words.
These words are highlighted in red and are ranked using a star system.
- One-star words are commonly used
- Two-star words are even more common
- Three-star words are the most frequently used
adverb
What are red words?
Around 90% of spoken and written English relies on just 7,500 common words.These words are highlighted in red and are ranked using a star system.
- One-star words are commonly used
- Two-star words are even more common
- Three-star words are the most frequently used
/ˈpeɪnf(ə)li/
1
in a painful way
2
used for emphasizing how annoying or unpleasant something is or how upset it makes you feel
Example
She was painfully aware of his embarrassment.
Example
She looked painfully thin.
Synonyms and related words
