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misery
[ miz-uh-ree ]
/ ˈmɪz ə ri /
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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.
- a pain: a misery in my left side.
- rheumatism.
- Often miseries. a case or period of despondency or gloom.
OTHER WORDS FOR misery
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Origin of misery
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English miserie, from Latin miseria, equivalent to miser “wretched” + -ia-y3
synonym study for misery
3. See sorrow.
Words nearby misery
miserable, misère, Miserere, misericord, miserly, misery, misery index, Misery loves company, misesteem, misestimate, misfeasance
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use misery in a sentence
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with misery
misery
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.