What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Penetrating vs Painful - What's the difference?

penetrating | painful | Related terms |

Penetrating is a related term of painful.


As adjectives the difference between penetrating and painful

is that penetrating is able to pierce or penetrate while painful is causing pain or distress, either physical or mental.

As a verb penetrating

is .

penetrating

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • able to pierce or penetrate
    • The skunk produces a penetrating odor.
  • demonstrating acute or keen understanding
    • His novel shows a penetrating insight into the criminal mind.

    Verb

    (head)

    • painful

    English

    (wikipedia painful)

    Alternative forms

    * painfull (archaic)

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • 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:
    • 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.
  • * 1843 , , Book 2, Ch. 2
    • For twenty generations, here was the earthly arena where painful living men worked out their life-wrestle

    Synonyms

    * (full of pain) doleful, sorrowful, irksome, annoying * (requiring labor or toil) laborious, exerting

    Antonyms

    * (causing pain) painless, painfree

    Derived terms

    * painfully * painfulness