Difficult
Difficult adjective - Requiring considerable physical or mental effort.
Usage example: difficult questions on the exam that required analytical thinking
Painful is a synonym for difficult in hard topic. In some cases you can use "Painful" instead an adjective "Difficult", when it comes to topics like troublesome, arduous, hard to do.
Nearby Word: difficulty
Painful
Painful adjective - Causing or feeling bodily pain.
Difficult is a synonym for painful in troublesome topic. You can use "Difficult" instead an adjective "Painful", if it concerns topics such as arduous, physically or mentally agonizing.
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Both words in one sentence
- Anti-Frustration Feature: In Hard Mode where your health is capped at 100, the Developer's Computer quest removes the four most difficult/painful Bugs (Fireball, Dragon, Demon, and Devil) Anti-Poop Socking: You need candy to get through the game, and the only way to get candy is simply to wait.
Source: Video Game / Candy box! -
Every time the title character of Howl's Moving Castle transforms into and out of his bird form, the experience gets more painful and difficult.
Source: Painful Transformation - As with corsets, there is controversy over whether they were as painful and difficult to wear as they look.
Source: Fashion Hurts
Cite this Source
Painful and Difficult. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/difficult/painful
Difficult & Painful. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/difficult/painful>.
Painful or Difficult. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/difficult/painful.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "difficult" and "painful" have occurred on timeline