PAINS Synonyms: 110 Similar and Opposite Words

pains 1 of 2

noun

plural of pain

as in attention

strict attentiveness to what one is doing asked the movers to take pains to be sure that they didn't damage anything while moving the furniture

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in effort

the active use of energy in producing a result she was at pains to reassure us that everything would be fine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pains

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pain

as in aches

to feel or cause physical pain my poor head was paining so from all that racket

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pains

Noun

In cases that are considered to be too severe — such as when a pregnant woman at the center began experiencing labor pains — those individuals are airlifted to a nearby hospital. — ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 California has taken pains to eliminate coal as a source of electricity, and this would be the first coal export terminal in California — or anywhere on the West Coast. — Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Still, the new Twitter takes great pains to put daylight between itself and the previous iteration of Twitter. — Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026 This came out in 2012, in that awkward growing-pains stage between the early post-teenybopper rebellion of Can’t Be Tamed and the suffocating culture wars of Bangerz. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026 Nielsen has taken great pains to caution that there is no guarantee that ratings gains will accompany these changes, which are being implemented to further improve the accuracy of its data gathering. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 19 Aug. 2026 If an infected person has trouble breathing, persistent chest pains or pressure, loses consciousness or sudden confusion, call 911. — Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 19 Aug. 2026 There will almost certainly be teething pains that Samsung ironed out years ago. — Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 In your first trimester, exercises like bear crawls, side planks and bird dogs can reduce aches and pains later in pregnancy, like pelvic girdle pain, sometimes called lightning crotch. — Andee Tagle, NPR, 15 Aug. 2026

Verb

This one pains me as a Roth-era Van Halen fan, but there is no denying the band found incredible radio success with new frontman Sammy Hagar in the fold. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026 His disaffection baffles his acquaintances and pains his tubercular wife (a superb Quinn Jackson), whose doctor (Lambert Tamin) has only contempt for her husband’s agonizing. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026 But regret pains them like a knot in their shoulders. — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pains

Noun

The Moon enters Aries and your 10th House of Career, Reputation, and Responsibility, putting attention on your public role, work, leadership, or visible commitments.

— Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Aug. 2026
Finally, markets this week paid close attention to news of the passing of former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of attention

Noun

Its architecture could contribute to future efforts involving inexpensive rockets produced in much larger quantities.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
Poor Anton has been left out of the drama all day, an effort by Billie and Samir to prevent an already bad futzing from escalating to something severe, and that’s never where Anton likes to be.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of effort

Verb

About one out of five people infected with West Nile virus develop symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, or rash.

— Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
When a sick child should stay home Hoying recommends keeping kids home when illness includes fever, body aches, vomiting or diarrhea.

— Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of aches

Noun

Flowers like geraniums, coleus, and lavender are easy to propagate and maintain with proper care indoors.

— Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 30 Aug. 2026
Slate chips replace the usual bark or mulch, and layered plantings, custom window boxes and a medallion set into the rear of the fireplace show the same level of care found indoors.

— David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of care

Noun

Users reported problems with Outlook, while OpenAI said users may experience problems starting or continuing tasks in ChatGPT Work, temporarily disabling two of the modern office's favorite methods of assigning more work.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Aquarius January 20 – February 18 A vague request could create an impressive amount of unnecessary work today.

— Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of work

Verb

Sure, the latter hurts the stats, but Daniels loved being able to close out the victory.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 23 Aug. 2026
Yet YouTube has told creators cross-posting on its platform and Netflix hurts viewership on YouTube and conveys the idea that channels are deprioritizing the streaming platform as their primary distribution outlet.

— Lucas Shaw, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026