pained

Pained is the past participle of the verb to pain and is used as an adjective to describe someone or something that experiences or displays pain, whether physical or emotional. In ordinary language, pained often appears with a sense of distress or discomfort, as in a pained expression, a pained groan, or a pained response to distressing news.

Etymology and grammar: The noun pain comes from Old French peine, from Latin poena, meaning punishment or penalty. The verb to pain exists but is relatively rare in modern usage; its past participle is pained. As an adjective, pained conveys a state resulting from pain, rather than the act of causing it. Pained can modify people, emotions, or circumstances (for example, a pained look, a pained silences, or pained expressions of sympathy).

Usage and nuance: Pained is commonly used to describe visible or felt distress, but it tends to signal sympathy or concern on the part of observers. It is less intense than terms like anguished or tormented and can convey restraint or quiet suffering rather than overt agony. In phrases such as “pained by the news” or “pained by his words,” it indicates emotional hurt rather than physical hurt. The word can also be used descriptively in literary writing to evoke mood or character, often highlighting restraint, discomfort, or moral unease.

See also: pain, to pain, pained expression, distress, suffering.