Schmerzvolle

Schmerzvolle is a German adjective meaning full of pain or sorrowful. It derives from Schmerz, meaning pain, and the suffix -voll, meaning full of. The term is used to describe experiences, emotions, or sensations that involve distress or intense unpleasantness.

The form schmerzvolle is inflected to agree with feminine nouns in the singular or used as the base form for related inflections. For example, eine schmerzvolle Erfahrung (a painful experience), schmerzvolle Erinnerungen (painful memories), and schmerzvolle Gefühle (painful feelings). It is not a standalone noun and does not indicate a specific disease or condition.

In usage, schmerzvolle is common in German literature, poetry, and everyday language to convey depth of suffering, grief, or emotional turmoil. It carries a sense of intensity beyond merely physical pain and often emphasizes the psychological or existential weight of an experience. In semantic contrast, related adjectives include schmerzhaft (physically painful) and schmerzlich (sorrowful or regrettable), which may carry slightly different nuances depending on context.

There is no widely recognized concept, organization, or work universally identified by the term schmerzvolle. It functions as a descriptive descriptor within German syntax, versatile across genres from prose to lyric writing. The word is most often encountered in contexts that aim to evoke empathy or a strong emotional response through depiction of distress or lament.