Gainful vs Painful - What's the difference?
gainful | painful |
Contrary.
Disposed to taking advantage of.
Troublesome; fractious; hard to handle.
Providing gain; profitable.
Causing pain or distress, either physical or mental.
Afflicted or suffering with pain (of a body part or, formerly, of a person).
Requiring effort or labor; difficult, laborious.
* 1624 , John Smith, Generall Historie , in Kupperman 1988, p. 142:
* 1843 , , Book 2, Ch. 2
As adjectives the difference between gainful and painful
is that gainful is contrary or gainful can be providing gain; profitable while painful is causing pain or distress, either physical or mental.gainful
English
Alternative forms
* gainfull (archaic)Etymology 1
From .Adjective
(en adjective)Etymology 2
From .Adjective
(en adjective)- How can we find gainful employment with dignity for the uneducated?
Derived terms
* (l) * (l)painful
English
(wikipedia painful)Alternative forms
* painfull (archaic)Adjective
(en-adj)- 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.
- For twenty generations, here was the earthly arena where painful living men worked out their life-wrestle
