schmerzvoll
physically painful
Involving or causing physical pain.
EXAMPLE
Die Behandlung war zwar schmerzvoll, aber notwendig.
The treatment was physically painful, but necessary.
schmerzvoll
painful
schmerzvoll – schmerzvoller – am schmerzvollsten
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Meanings
schmerzvoll
emotionally painful
Marked by intense emotional pain or causing emotional pain.
EXAMPLE
Der Abschied von ihrer Familie war für sie schmerzvoll.
Saying goodbye to her family was emotionally painful for her.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry schmerzvoll, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Comparison
| basic form | schmerzvoll |
|---|---|
| comparative | schmerzvoller |
| superlative | am schmerzvollsten |
After der, die, das
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to schmerzvoll.
After ein, eine
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to schmerzvoll.
Without article
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| dat. | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| gen. | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Add the ending to schmerzvoll.
Usage tips
Word formation
'Schmerzvoll' (painful) is made up of 'Schmerz' (pain) and 'voll' (full). Here, the suffix '-voll' (-ful) indicates that something is marked by intense pain or causes a lot of pain.
EXAMPLE
Die schmerzvolle Behandlung dauerte mehrere Stunden.
The painful treatment lasted several hours.
Context clue
The surrounding nouns often indicate whether physical or emotional pain is meant: 'Behandlung' (treatment), 'Verletzung' (injury), or 'Geburt' (birth) usually suggest physical pain; 'Abschied' (farewell), 'Verlust' (loss), or 'Erinnerung' (memory) usually suggest emotional pain.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Sturz hatte er eine schmerzvolle Verletzung am Knie.
After the fall, he had a painful knee injury.
Der Tod ihres Hundes war für sie ein schmerzvoller Verlust.
The death of her dog was a painful loss for her.
Typical collocations
When referring to emotional pain, 'schmerzvoll' (painful) often occurs with words such as 'Abschied' (farewell), 'Verlust' (loss), 'Erinnerung' (memory), and 'Erfahrung' (experience).
EXAMPLE
Diese schmerzvolle Erinnerung begleitet sie noch heute.
This painful memory stays with her to this day.
In real life
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