pain threshold
Where discomfort begins
Pain threshold is the point at which a sensation becomes painful—the minimum intensity of a stimulus that registers as pain rather than mere pressure or discomfort.
People have different pain thresholds, some feeling pain at lighter touches or lower temperatures than others.
The term extends figuratively to tolerance for emotional or psychological distress: After three hours of his complaining, I'd reached my pain threshold.
Capacity to recover quickly
- fortitudeEnduring courage under pain
- gritDetermination or abrasive particles
- stoicismUncomplaining acceptance of difficulty
- perseveranceSustained resolve despite obstacles
tenacity · toughness · stamina · determination · willpower · mettle · courage · bravery
Body site affecting nerves
- baselineStandard for comparison
- calibrationAdjusting for measurement accuracy
- clinical assessmentStructured diagnostic examination
- psychophysicsScience linking stimuli to perception
Gentle, caring quality
- sorenessTender, painful sensation
- reactivityTendency to chemically combine
- hypersensitivityExaggerated response to stimuli
- low toleranceLimited capacity for endurance
Reduced response over time
- habituationDiminished reaction over time
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- acclimatizationAdjusting to new conditions
- numbingCausing loss of sensation
Unique traits among people
- geneticsScience of hereditary transmission
- gender differencesVariations between male and female
- cultural influencesForces shaping group identity
- psychological stateCondition of the mind
resilience
Capacity to recover quickly
- fortitudeEnduring courage under pain
- gritDetermination or abrasive particles
- stoicismUncomplaining acceptance of difficulty
perseverance · tenacity · toughness · stamina · determination · willpower · mettle · courage · bravery · steadfastness
pressure point
Body site affecting nerves
- baselineStandard for comparison
- calibrationAdjusting for measurement accuracy
- clinical assessmentStructured diagnostic examination
tenderness
Gentle, caring quality
- sorenessTender, painful sensation
- reactivityTendency to chemically combine
- hypersensitivityExaggerated response to stimuli
desensitization
Reduced response over time
- habituationDiminished reaction over time
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- acclimatizationAdjusting to new conditions
numbing · repeated exposure · conditioning · drug dependence
individual differences
Unique traits among people
- geneticsScience of hereditary transmission
- gender differencesVariations between male and female
- cultural influencesForces shaping group identity
psychological state · expectation · placebo response · subjective experience
- Sensory limitshearing range, blind spot, color blindness, night vision, sensory overload
- limitslimit, limits, limitation, upper limit, lower limit
- sensitivitysensitivity, sensitive, hypersensitivity, oversensitivity, hypersensitive
- limits of hearingfrequency range, hearing range, pitch range, volume limits, hearing loss
- sensory testshearing test, vision test, eye test, eye exam, taste test
- thresholdslimit, brink, edge, boundary, cusp
pain thresholdpain sensitivity
Responsiveness to harmful stimuli
hypersensitivity · numbness · analgesia · tenderness · sensitivity
pain thresholdnumbness
Loss of sensation
analgesia · insensitivity · anesthesia · comfort · relief
pain, painful, painless, pained, threshold, painkiller, paining, painlessly, analgesic