DEFINITIONS

misery

[ miz-uh-ree ]
/ ˈmɪz ə ri /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR misery ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural mis·er·ies.

wretchedness of condition or circumstances.
distress or suffering caused by need, privation, or poverty.
great mental or emotional distress; extreme unhappiness.
a cause or source of distress.
Older Use.
  1. a pain: a misery in my left side.
  2. rheumatism.
  3. Often miseries. a case or period of despondency or gloom.

Words related to misery

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

Words nearby misery

miserabilist, miserable, miserere, misericord, miserly, misery, misery index, misery loves company, misesteem, misestimate, misfeasance

Origin of misery

1325–75; Middle English miserie < Latin miseria, equivalent to miser wretched + -ia -y3
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for misery

British Dictionary definitions for misery

misery
/ (ˈmɪzərɪ) /

noun plural -eries

intense unhappiness, discomfort, or suffering; wretchedness
a cause of such unhappiness, discomfort, etc
squalid or poverty-stricken conditions
British informal a person who is habitually depressedhe is such a misery
dialect a pain or ailment

Word Origin for misery

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

Idioms and Phrases with misery

misery

In addition to the idiom beginning with misery

  • misery loves company

also see:

  • put someone out of his or her misery
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.