plural miseries
1
: a state of suffering and want that is the result of poverty or affliction
War brought misery to thousands of refugees.
2
: a circumstance, thing, or place that causes suffering or discomfort
the joys and miseries of life
3
: a state of great unhappiness and emotional distress
My former boss made my life a misery.
We had to put the animal out of its misery. [=end the animal's suffering by killing it]
Examples of misery in a Sentence
The war brought misery to thousands of refugees.
They were living in overcrowded slums in conditions of great misery.
a source of human misery
the joy and misery of life
The last years of her life were a misery.
Stop being such a misery.
Recent Examples on the Web
And Hammond is roughly the same distance from downtown Chicago as Arlington Heights; whichever direction the team moves, leaving windswept Soldier Field for the artificial environment of a dome means abandoning some of the proud misery that defines Bears football.
—
Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
Some airports where the wait times have been manageable say those early birds are only adding to the misery — and in some cases causing other passengers to get to their gate too late.
—John Seewer, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
About 12 million Africans were forcefully taken by European nations from the 16th to the 19th century and enslaved on plantations that built wealth at the price of misery.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
The transition from agricultural employment to factory employment involved wrenching mass migration, the utter misery of the Great Depression (as well as other brutal recessions, now faded from collective memory), and the painful dealmaking of the New Deal.
—Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misery
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Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
Some airports where the wait times have been manageable say those early birds are only adding to the misery — and in some cases causing other passengers to get to their gate too late.
—John Seewer, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
About 12 million Africans were forcefully taken by European nations from the 16th to the 19th century and enslaved on plantations that built wealth at the price of misery.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
The transition from agricultural employment to factory employment involved wrenching mass migration, the utter misery of the Great Depression (as well as other brutal recessions, now faded from collective memory), and the painful dealmaking of the New Deal.
—Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misery
Cite this Entry
“Misery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misery. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
misery
noun
mis·ery
ˈmiz-(ə-)rē 
plural miseries
1
: a state of great suffering and want due to poverty or misfortune
2
: a source of misery
3
: a state of unhappiness
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