painful (adj.)
- aching
- achy
- acute
- affecting
- afflictive
- aggravating
- agonizing
- algetic
- annoying
- arduous
- assiduous
- atrocious
- backbreaking
- biting
- bitter
- bleak
- bothersome
- burdensome
- burning
- careful
- cheerless
- comfortless
- conscientious
- cruel
- crushing
- demanding
- deplorable
- depressing
- depressive
- detailed
- diligent
- dismal
- dismaying
- disquieting
- distasteful
- distressful
- distressing
- disturbing
- dolorous
- dreary
- earnest
- effortful
- exacting
- exasperating
- excruciating
- forced
- galling
- grave
- grievous
- grueling
- hard
- hard-fought
- harrowing
- harsh
- heavy
- hefty
- hurtful
- irksome
- irritating
- joyless
- killing
- labored
- laborious
- lamentable
- meticulous
- mournful
- moving
- onerous
- operose
- oppressive
- painstaking
- paroxysmal
- pathetic
- piercing
- piteous
- pitiable
- plaguey
- poignant
- pungent
- punishing
- racking
- raw
- regrettable
- rigorous
- rueful
- sad
- scrupulous
- sedulous
- sensitive
- severe
- sharp
- shooting
- sore
- sorrowful
- spasmodic
- stabbing
- stinging
- strained
- strenuous
- tender
- thorough
- thoroughgoing
- throbbing
- toilsome
- torturous
- touching
- tough
- troublesome
- troubling
- trying
- unappetizing
- uncomfortable
- unpalatable
- unpleasant
- unsavory
- uphill
- vexatious
- vexing
- wearisome
- woebegone
- woeful
- worrisome
- worrying
- wretched
While pensive poets painful vigils keep,
Sleepless themselves to give their readers sleep.
The painful warrior famoused for fight,
After a thousand victories, once foil'd,
Is from the books of honour razed quite,
And all the rest forgot for which he toil'd.
