painful
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painful
Causing mental or emotional pain; connected with grief or regret.
Der Tod seiner Großmutter war ein schmerzlicher Verlust für die ganze Familie.
The death of his grandmother was a painful loss for the whole family.
The adjective 'schmerzlich' (painful) is derived directly from the noun 'der Schmerz' (pain). The ending '-lich' turns the noun into an adjective that describes something that causes pain or feels like pain.
Die Erinnerung an diesen Tag ist für mich immer noch schmerzlich.
The memory of that day is still painful for me.
'Schmerzlich' (painfully) is very often used as an adverb to intensify a verb, especially with emotional actions such as 'vermissen' (to miss), 'bereuen' (to regret), or 'erkennen' (to realize).
Wir mussten schmerzlich erkennen, dass wir einen Fehler gemacht hatten.
We had to painfully realize that we had made a mistake.
A very common and fixed collocation is 'jemanden/etwas schmerzlich vermissen' (to painfully miss someone/something). This is a strong expression for deeply felt missing.
Seit er im Ausland studiert, vermissen ihn seine Eltern schmerzlich.
Since he has been studying abroad, his parents have painfully missed him.
In its emotional meaning, 'schmerzlich' (painful) is often combined with abstract nouns. Typical examples are 'ein schmerzlicher Verlust' (a painful loss), 'eine schmerzliche Niederlage' (a painful defeat), or 'eine schmerzliche Erfahrung' (a painful experience).
Für den Verein war der Abstieg eine schmerzliche Erfahrung.
For the club, relegation was a painful experience.
The meaning 'physical pain' is less common. You can recognize it because it refers directly to a bodily sensation or a body part.
Nach dem Sturz hatte er ein schmerzliches Gefühl im Knie.
After the fall, he had a painful feeling in his knee.
sad
'traurig' and 'schmerzlich' both have to do with sadness, suffering, or regret. 'traurig' usually describes a feeling or mood: a person is sad, or a situation makes someone sad. 'schmerzlich' puts stronger emphasis on something hurting emotionally or being hard to bear. People often say 'eine schmerzliche Erfahrung' (a painful experience) or 'jemanden schmerzlich vermissen' (to painfully miss someone). Learners may confuse the words because both are negative and emotional. As a simple guide: 'traurig' fits a mood, while 'schmerzlich' fits deep emotional pain more often.
Wir vermissen unseren alten Nachbarn schmerzlich, weil er immer für uns da war.
We painfully miss our old neighbor because he was always there for us.
Nach der schlechten Nachricht war Anna den ganzen Abend traurig.
After the bad news, Anna was sad all evening.