noun
-
the pain, misery, or loss experienced by a person who suffers
-
the state or an instance of enduring pain, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of suffering
First recorded in 1350–1400; suffer + -ing 1 ( def. )
Explanation
Suffering is the kind of pain you feel when you shatter your ankle and it's what you'll see all around you if you find yourself in the middle of a tornado or an earthquake. When you're suffering, you're not happy — in fact, you're quite miserable. The Latin roots that give us suffering and related words paint a vivid picture of what suffering feels like. The word comes from sub-, meaning "below," and ferre, "bear." Suffering is something pressing you down that you have to submit to and bear. It's definitely the opposite of fun.
Vocabulary lists containing suffering
Because of Winn-Dixie
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"The Young American" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
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The House of Hades
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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.
Most Ukrainians, although exhausted by years of suffering under bombardment, see no choice but to resist the invasion until Russia is willing to settle on terms that protect Ukraine’s independence.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
"A lot of people were suffering from chronic fatigue, constant headaches, low vitamin B12, which was subsequently causing things like heart palpitations and very foggy heads," she said.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
“My patients are not suffering from depression; they’re suffering from oppression,” Kidia writes in the book, detailing how many people’s conditions are dependent on external circumstances, including financial instability.
From Salon • May 18, 2026
"Companies that used to be the pride of Germany are suffering."
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
I’d invested five months in this work, but all the suffering I had thought was leading me toward prosperity could instead be dragging me to my doom.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
