painful

Etymology

From Middle English paynful, peinful, peynful, paynefull, peynefull, equivalent to pain + -ful. Compare Danish pinefuld (“painful”).

adj

1. Causing pain or distress, either physical or mental.
2. Afflicted or suffering with pain (of a body part or, formerly, of a person).
3. Requiring effort or labor; difficult, laborious.
4. (now rare) Painstaking; careful; industrious.
   The men bestow their times in fishing, hunting, warres, and such manlike exercises, scorning to be seene in any woman-like exercise, which is the cause that the women be very painefull, and the men often idle. 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, Kupperman, published 1988, page 142
5. (informal) Very bad, poor.
   His violin playing is painful.