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Synonyms

suffering

American  
[suhf-er-ing, suhf-ring] / ˈsʌf ər ɪŋ, ˈsʌf rɪŋ /

noun

  1. the state of a person or thing that suffers.

    Synonyms:
    distress, pain, torture, torment, agony

  2. Often sufferings. something suffered by a person or a group of people; pain.

    the sorrows and sufferings of our poorest citizens.
suffering British  
/ ˈsʌfrɪŋ, ˈsʌfərɪŋ /

noun

  1. the pain, misery, or loss experienced by a person who suffers

  2. the state or an instance of enduring pain, etc

"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 Word Forms

  • sufferingly adverb
  • unsuffering adjective

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

The members hugged him back, from bankrolling his college tuition to sending him generous gifts when he retired in 2013 and donations when his beloved wife, Cheryl, died in 2020 after suffering a massive stroke.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

There’s only so much distant suffering anyone can take in.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

Anfield was not a happy place before kick-off as Liverpool fans expressed their anger at events on and off the pitch in what has, so far, been a season of suffering.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Fury briefly retired after suffering the first losses of his career to Usyk in Saudi Arabia, but outlined his desire to become a three-time world champion.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

But I don’t want to hurt him; he is suffering enough.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

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.