'Painful' definitions:

Definition of 'painful'

From: WordNet
adjective
Causing physical or psychological pain; "worked with painful slowness" [ant: painless]
adjective
Causing misery or pain or distress; "it was a sore trial to him"; "the painful process of growing up" [syn: afflictive, painful, sore]
adjective
Exceptionally bad or displeasing; "atrocious taste"; "abominable workmanship"; "an awful voice"; "dreadful manners"; "a painful performance"; "terrible handwriting"; "an unspeakable odor came sweeping into the room" [syn: atrocious, abominable, awful, dreadful, painful, terrible, unspeakable]
adjective
Causing physical discomfort; "bites of black flies are more than irritating; they can be very painful" [syn: irritating, painful]

Definition of 'Painful'

From: GCIDE
  • Painful \Pain"ful\, a.
  • 1. Full of pain; causing uneasiness or distress, either physical or mental; afflictive; disquieting; distressing. --Addison. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. Requiring labor or toil; difficult; executed with laborious effort; as a painful service; a painful march. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. Painstaking; careful; industrious. [Obs.] --Fuller. [1913 Webster]
  • A very painful person, and a great clerk. --Jer. Taylor. [1913 Webster]
  • Nor must the painful husbandman be tired. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
  • Syn: Disquieting; troublesome; afflictive; distressing; grievous; laborious; toilsome; difficult; arduous. [1913 Webster] -- {Pain"ful*ly}, adv. -- {Pain"ful*ness}, n. [1913 Webster]