1
as in agony
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
the flood brought misery to the many hundreds whom it had made homeless
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
a medication that promises to provide greater relief to those living in chronic misery because of arthritis
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of misery
Years of political repression, organized crime, economic misery and emigration have hollowed out Venezuela’s middle class and organized labor.
—
Robert Muggah, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Flu continues to bring misery across the US, with all but four states showing high or very high levels of activity as a new virus strain called subclade K continues to spread.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
Years of political repression, organized crime, economic misery and emigration have hollowed out Venezuela’s middle class and organized labor.
—Robert Muggah, The Conversation, 4 Jan. 2026
Joyce beheads Vecna while all the characters expel their collective trauma from five seasons of violence and misery.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misery
Robert Muggah, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Flu continues to bring misery across the US, with all but four states showing high or very high levels of activity as a new virus strain called subclade K continues to spread.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
Years of political repression, organized crime, economic misery and emigration have hollowed out Venezuela’s middle class and organized labor.
—Robert Muggah, The Conversation, 4 Jan. 2026
Joyce beheads Vecna while all the characters expel their collective trauma from five seasons of violence and misery.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misery
Noun
-
The dramatic arc of the film’s first half — filled with the ecstasy of God’s embrace and the agony of imprisonment — is told through musical numbers, adapted from the Shakers’ ecstatic worship, dance, hymns, and music (watch the video above to learn more).—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
7 Jan. 2026
-
One year before Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire published their compendium of Greek myths, Cicellis released her second work of fiction, The Way to Colonos, which ruthlessly dramatizes the limits of individual freedom and the agony of facing one’s powerlessness.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The plaintiff seeks damages for privacy invasion, emotional distress, reputational harm and alleged placement on government watch lists.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The initial wave of relief soon lifted, giving way to distress when Franco learned his home was uninhabitable.—
Joy Benedict,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In the ‘Groundhog Day’-esque nightmare that never ends, the ‘urgent’ and ‘engaged’ Boston Red Sox are up a creek without a paddle, vessel, and excuse, having lost out on a top – and very sign-able – free-agent target once again.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
-
This artistic decision shifts the focus from the battlefield to the psychological and bureaucratic nightmare faced by those desperately trying to orchestrate a rescue from hundreds of miles away.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
So Skinny Pedro had experienced the pain of seeing his dream simultaneously realized and shattered.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Hannah tells the jury how the pain affected her.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This is likewise the thrust of Salò, based on the Marquis de Sade’s The 120 Days of Sodom, an orgiastic, disturbing carnival of torture, rape, and killing, reset by Pasolini in the town from which fascism reigned in the 1940s.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Marcano Tábata is widely identified by human rights groups as part of the command structure overseeing detention centers where political prisoners have been held, including facilities accused of systematic abuse and torture.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
No adolescent defiance or child’s anguish was visible on his face now.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Some critics called for more editorial discipline in the film, or found Lawrence’s onscreen spin cycle of anguish, which involves literally clawing her way up walls or flinging herself through glass doors, to be repetitive.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
To our minds, Wednesday's horror, those kids who lost a mother, should supplant the inevitable circling of the ideological wagons and the parsing of the different angles of pictures taken at the scene.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2026
-
But the harder the novice looks — and the greater the chaos inside them longing for order, even of a diabolical nature — the more clearly the horror will appear.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Broadway production capitalizes on discomfort, keeping tension taut and surprises around every corner.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
-
In certain situations, drinking lemon water may cause discomfort or may not be recommended.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misery. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share