Tuskallinen

Tuskallinen is a Finnish adjective meaning deeply painful, agonizing, or tormenting. It describes pain, distress, or experiences that are extremely unpleasant or difficult to endure. The term can refer to physical pain as well as emotional or situational distress, and it often conveys a sense of severity beyond ordinary pain.

Origin and form: The word is formed from the noun tuska “pain, distress” with the suffix -llinen, which yields adjectives meaning “full of” or “characterized by.” The construction places tuska as the core semantic element and -llinen as a derivational suffix.

Usage: Tuskallinen emphasizes intensity and duration more than merely “painful.” It is commonly used with nouns like kipu or vaiva, or with abstract notions such as kärsimys or odotus. It can describe both bodily pain and burdensome situations. In contrast to milder synonyms, tuskallinen carries a stronger emotional or physical burden and may imply endurance or hardship.

Examples: Kipu oli tuskallinen koko yön. Hän koki tuskallisen odotuksen ennen vastausta. Tuo tehtävä on tuskallinen, mutta se on suoritettava.

See also: kipu, tuska, kivulias.