misery

American  

[miz-uh-ree] / ˈmɪz ə ri /

noun

plural

miseries

1. wretchedness of condition or circumstances.

   Synonyms:

   trial, tribulation, suffering

2. distress or suffering caused by need, privation, or poverty.

3. great mental or emotional distress; extreme unhappiness.

   Synonyms:

   desolation, torment, woe, anguish, grief

   Antonyms:

   happiness

4. a cause or source of distress.

5. Older Use.

   1. a pain.

      a misery in my left side.

   2. rheumatism.

   3. Often miseries. a case or period of despondency or gloom.

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misery British  

/ ˈmɪzərɪ /

noun

1. intense unhappiness, discomfort, or suffering; wretchedness

2. a cause of such unhappiness, discomfort, etc

3. squalid or poverty-stricken conditions

4. informal a person who is habitually depressed

   he is such a misery

5. dialect a pain or ailment

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misery Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing misery

• put someone out of his or her misery

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Related Words

See sorrow.

Etymology

Origin of misery

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English miserie, from Latin miseria, equivalent to miser “wretched” + -ia -y ³

Explanation

Misery is a state of deep unhappiness or discomfort. It's not dropping your ice cream cone. It's having a hairy monster steal your ice cream cone, eat it in one bite, and then kidnap you and carry you off to his cave. Misery describes a miserable situation and a miserable feeling. Waiting four hours in the hot sun for a concert you don't want to see and can't afford? That's misery. The only way to survive is to bring a friend who hates the band as much as you––because misery loves company.

Example Sentences

Many providers lack the funding to hire a critical person who can help reduce incidents and a resident’s individual misery: on-site mental health specialists.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

For the first two months at the Matsapha Correctional Centre, Rom said he and fellow deportees "went through misery" -- allowed outdoors for only 15 minutes a day and given one weekly phone call.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

All those years of misery just proved to be the prologue to the most shocking story from the tournament’s opening rounds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

Her experiences are almost mythic, like peering through the looking glass at a time when misery could actively coexist with unbridled bliss.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026

And to add to the misery, they were my only company.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• agony
• anguish
• despair
• discomfort
• gloom
• grief
• hardship
• headache
• heartache
• passion
• sadness
• sorrow
• squalor
• suffering
• torment
• torture
• woe
• worry