misery

[miz-uh-ree]

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.

misery

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of misery¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of misery¹

C14: via Anglo-Norman from Latin miseria, from miser wretched

Idioms and Phrases

• put someone out of his or her misery

Synonym Study

See sorrow.

Example Sentences

The Chargers and Dolphins have more in common than misery.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I’m just trying to be doing something that I enjoy, as opposed to it being this misery filled sort of thing, or a thing where it’s so contingent on fitting in with everyone else.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“If it didn’t rain, there would be no harvest and pure misery. The Bracero Program helped a lot of people.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The Jets are no strangers to ignominy, but the Glenn era has started off with a depth of misery that’s a first even for them.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Despite the surface Mr. Safdie has designed—hand-held cameras, unglamorous sets, closeups of people in misery—“The Smashing Machine” is notably reluctant to go deep.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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