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.

Suffering vs Painful - What's the difference?

suffering | painful |

As adjectives the difference between suffering and painful

is that suffering is experiencing pain(jump) while painful is causing pain or distress, either physical or mental.

As a noun suffering

is the condition of someone who suffers; a state of pain or distress.

As a verb suffering

is .

suffering

English

Adjective

(head)
  • Experiencing pain.(jump)
  • Synonyms

    * (jump) in pain

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The condition of someone who suffers; a state of pain or distress.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=December 14 , author=Steven Morris , title=Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave , work=Guardian citation , page= , passage=Robins, of Torquay, had denied a single charge of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. She claimed the microwave was accidentally turned on by one of the cats after the kitten got inside. But Knutton said the kitten was too small to even get onto the work surface.}}

    Verb

    (head)
  • 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