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Synonyms

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.

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
misery Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing misery

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I come back from my run and shower a second time, but my misery is still stickier than fish slime.

From Literature

Founded after the 1979 revolution that overthrew the Shah, it was then forged in the deadly misery of the eight-year war with Iraq.

From BBC

Over the years, England's men have experienced plenty of misery in shootouts, losing seven times at major tournaments in that way.

From BBC

Consider this a plea to Kevin Warsh, nominated to succeed Mr. Powell as Fed chairman: Please, please, put the dots out of our misery.

From The Wall Street Journal

It will feel a long break for Newcastle fans though as they have no chance of rebounding quickly from that derby day misery and Champions League thumping by Barcelona.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.