English–French

“painful” in French

French

Pronunciation

IPA/duluʁø/

Example

C'est vraiment douloureux.

It is really painful.

Illustration for douloureux (painful)

How to say “painful” in French

“Painful” in French is douloureux.

A painful experience, injury, or memory that weighs heavily on the body or mind.

Full entry for douloureux: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with douloureux

Le massage a réduit la zone douloureuse.

The massage reduced the painful area.

Tips for using douloureux

  • For ordinary statements of current physical pain, French usually uses avoir mal or faire mal, whereas douloureux describes the painful thing or experience.

“painful” in other languages