This article explains 40 idioms about pain. It covers idioms for extreme pain, emotional pain, and physical pain. You’ll find expressions for being a pain in the neck, back pain, hurting others, hurting yourself, and pain and suffering.
Each idiom is defined with a simple meaning and a short example. The goal is to help you understand and use these idioms correctly. For example, “in agony” means experiencing severe pain, and “pain in the neck” refers to an annoying person. By learning these idioms, you can better express different types of pain in everyday language.
List of 40 idioms for pain
- In agony
- In excruciating pain
- In unbearable pain
- In intense pain
- In throbbing pain
- In searing pain
- In crippling pain
- In stabbing pain
- In piercing pain
- In excruciating discomfort
- In blinding pain
- In gut-wrenching pain
- Heartache
- Broken heart
- Tears of sorrow
- Emotional rollercoaster
- Aching all over
- Sore muscles
- Pains and aches
- Body is sore
- Pain in the neck
- Thorn in my side
- Real headache
- Bane of my existence
- Pain in the back
- Backbreaker
- Heavy burden
- Load on my back
- Break someone’s heart
- Cut to the quick
- Wound with words
- Hit where it hurts
- Kick yourself
- Shoot yourself in the foot
- Cut yourself down
- Beat yourself up
- Endure the pain
- Bear the brunt
- Grin and bear it
- Through thick and thin
Idioms for Extreme Pain
In agony
Meaning: Experiencing severe pain.
Example: After the surgery, I was in agony for days.
In excruciating pain
Meaning: Suffering intense pain.
Example: She was in excruciating pain after breaking her leg.
In unbearable pain
Meaning: Pain that is intolerable.
Example: The burn left him in unbearable pain.
In intense pain
Meaning: Feeling extreme pain.
Example: The injury caused him intense pain.
In throbbing pain
Meaning: Pain that pulses.
Example: My headache left me in throbbing pain.
In searing pain
Meaning: Sharp, intense pain.
Example: The cut resulted in searing pain.
In crippling pain
Meaning: Pain that immobilizes.
Example: He was in crippling pain after the accident.
In stabbing pain
Meaning: Sudden, sharp pain.
Example: She felt a stabbing pain in her chest.
In piercing pain
Meaning: Pain that feels like it’s penetrating.
Example: The injury caused piercing pain.
In excruciating discomfort
Meaning: Extremely painful unease.
Example: The operation left him in excruciating discomfort.
In blinding pain
Meaning: Pain so intense it affects vision.
Example: The migraine gave me blinding pain.
In gut-wrenching pain
Meaning: Extremely distressing pain.
Example: The news caused gut-wrenching pain.
Idioms for Emotional Pain
Heartache
Meaning: Deep sorrow.
Example: The breakup caused me heartache.
Broken heart
Meaning: Deep emotional pain.
Example: Losing her caused a broken heart.
Tears of sorrow
Meaning: Crying from sadness.
Example: She wept tears of sorrow at the news.
Emotional rollercoaster
Meaning: Ups and downs of emotions.
Example: His departure put me on an emotional rollercoaster.
Idioms for Physical Pain
Aching all over
Meaning: Pain throughout the body.
Example: After the workout, I was aching all over.
Sore muscles
Meaning: Muscles that hurt.
Example: My sore muscles needed rest.
Pains and aches
Meaning: General discomfort.
Example: The flu gave me pains and aches.
Body is sore
Meaning: Overall body pain.
Example: I couldn’t move; my body was sore.
Idioms for Being a Pain in the Neck
Pain in the neck
Meaning: Annoying person.
Example: His complaints are a pain in the neck.
Thorn in my side
Meaning: Persistent annoyance.
Example: The traffic is a thorn in my side.
Real headache
Meaning: Source of stress.
Example: The paperwork is a real headache.
Bane of my existence
Meaning: Major annoyance.
Example: The noisy neighbor is the bane of my existence.
Idioms for Pain in the Back
Pain in the back
Meaning: Irritating issue.
Example: The project is a pain in the back.
Backbreaker
Meaning: Very difficult task.
Example: Moving was a backbreaker.
Heavy burden
Meaning: Significant responsibility.
Example: His demands are a heavy burden.
Load on my back
Meaning: Overwhelming task.
Example: This project is a load on my back.
Idioms for Hurting Someone
Break someone’s heart
Meaning: Cause emotional pain.
Example: The news will break her heart.
Cut to the quick
Meaning: Deeply hurt someone.
Example: His words cut to the quick.
Wound with words
Meaning: Hurt through speech.
Example: She wounded him with her words.
Hit where it hurts
Meaning: Target vulnerabilities.
Example: His comment hit where it hurts.
Idioms for Hurting Yourself
Kick yourself
Meaning: Regret a mistake.
Example: I kicked myself for missing the meeting.
Shoot yourself in the foot
Meaning: Self-sabotage.
Example: By quitting, he shot himself in the foot.
Cut yourself down
Meaning: Undermine yourself.
Example: Don’t cut yourself down; you did great.
Beat yourself up
Meaning: Blame yourself excessively.
Example: Stop beating yourself up over it.
Idioms for Pain and Suffering
Endure the pain
Meaning: Suffer patiently.
Example: He had to endure the pain silently.
Bear the brunt
Meaning: Face the worst part.
Example: She bore the brunt of the criticism.
Grin and bear it
Meaning: Endure without complaint.
Example: You have to grin and bear it sometimes.
Through thick and thin
Meaning: Despite difficulties.
Example: We’ve been together through thick and thin.
What are some idioms for extreme pain?
There are many idioms for extreme pain, such as “in agony,” “in excruciating pain,” and “in unbearable pain.” Each idiom describes a different level or type of severe pain.
How can I express emotional pain using idioms?
Idioms like “heartache,” “broken heart,” and “tears of sorrow” effectively convey emotional pain. These expressions help articulate deep feelings of sadness and loss.
Are there idioms for describing physical pain?
Yes, idioms such as “aching all over,” “sore muscles,” and “pains and aches” describe physical pain. They are useful for communicating different types of bodily discomfort.
Conclusion
In this article, I explained 40 idioms related to pain and other emotions like suffering. From extreme pain to emotional and physical pain, and from being a pain in the neck to hurting oneself or others, each idiom is clearly defined and exemplified.
Understanding these idioms helps in expressing various types of pain more precisely and effectively in everyday language.
