Synonyms of suffering

suffering 1 of 3

adjective

as in mourning

Related Words

• mourning
• upset
• unhappy
• sorrowing
• sad
• grieving
• distressed
• melancholy
• crying
• miserable
• mournful
• widowed
• wailing
• weeping
• bereaved
• orphaned
• lamenting
• bemoaning
• bereft

suffering

2 of 3

noun

as in distress

Related Words

• distress
• sorrow
• agony
• anguish
• pain
• torment
• heartache
• grief
• heartbreak
• misery
• oppression
• unhappiness
• woe
• despair
• melancholy
• dejection
• dolor
• affliction
• wretchedness
• blues
• remorse
• depression
• gloom
• gloominess
• dumps
• guilt
• heartsickness
• regret
• dreariness
• miserableness
• despondency
• sorriness
• joylessness
• contrition
• glumness
• shame
• sorrowfulness
• doldrums
• despondence
• desolation
• dolefulness
• forlornness
• melancholia
• woefulness
• downheartedness
• disconsolateness
• blue devils
• desolateness
• rue
• mopes
• self-reproach
• dispiritedness
• self-pity

Dissimilar Words

• joy
• happiness
• pleasure
• ecstasy
• delight
• bliss
• rapture
• euphoria
• exultation
• elation
• cheerfulness
• glee
• blessedness
• jubilation
• exuberance
• cheer
• exhilaration
• joyousness
• felicity
• joyfulness
• gladness
• mirth
• cheeriness
• merriment
• humor
• optimism
• gaiety
• merrymaking
• blissfulness
• jollity
• gayness
• joviality
• enjoyment
• gleefulness
• lightheartedness
• hopefulness
• elatedness
• rapturousness
• mirthfulness
• gladsomeness
• content
• contentment
• sunniness
• contentedness

suffering

3 of 3

verb

present participle of suffer

1

as in experiencing

to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it

willingly suffered hardships so that their children would have a better life

Synonyms & Similar Words

• experiencing
• undergoing
• enduring
• having
• seeing
• feeling
• knowing
• witnessing
• sustaining
• going through
• receiving
• passing
• tasting
• encountering
• accepting
• meeting
• digesting
• assimilating

2

as in grieving

to feel deep sadness or mental pain

the husband suffered deeply at the mere suggestion that he had been unfaithful

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grieving
• aching
• mourning
• sighing
• crying
• agonizing
• sorrowing
• hurting
• bleeding
• sobbing
• weeping
• anguishing
• groaning
• smarting
• eating one's heart out
• moaning
• tormenting
• tearing one's hair
• torturing
• bewailing
• lamenting
• longing (for)
• pining (away)
• bemoaning
• languishing
• howling
• deploring
• blubbering
• yammering
• racking
• wailing
• ruing
• bawling
• regretting
• keening
• yowling
• taking on

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• laughing
• rejoicing
• cheering
• exulting
• beaming
• triumphing
• glorying
• delighting
• ravishing
• crowing
• comforting
• assuring
• reassuring
• sympathizing
• consoling
• soothing
• joying
• commiserating
• solacing

3

as in permitting

to give permission for or to approve of

contends that the death penalty is something that no civilized society should suffer

Synonyms & Similar Words

• permitting
• having
• allowing
• tolerating
• standing for
• admitting
• acquiescing
• licensing
• green-lighting
• enduring
• agreeing (to)
• authorizing
• commissioning
• consenting (to)
• assenting (to)
• acceding (to)
• sanctioning
• conceding
• granting
• according
• warranting
• condoning
• countenancing
• supporting
• vouchsafing
• OK'ing
• brooking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prohibiting
• forbidding
• banning
• denying
• enjoining
• impeding
• hindering
• proscribing
• vetoing
• obstructing
• refusing
• rejecting
• withholding
• suppressing
• revoking
• disapproving
• deploring
• disallowing
• censuring
• disliking
• frowning (at or on)
• restraining
• checking
• keeping
• curbing
• repressing
• interdicting
• grudging
• discountenancing
• disfavoring

4

as in letting

to fail to prevent (some behavior on someone's part) especially from neglect or indifference

I will not suffer you to insult me so!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• letting
• tolerating
• ignoring
• allowing
• permitting
• putting up with
• disregarding
• condoning
• brushing (aside or off)
• forgiving
• winking (at)
• excusing
• overlooking
• pardoning
• indulging
• catering (to)
• shrugging off
• giving in (to)
• humoring
• brooking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• preventing
• blocking
• barring
• prohibiting
• forbidding
• constraining
• interfering (with)
• discouraging
• inhibiting
• curbing
• impeding
• frustrating
• holding back
• deterring

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun suffering differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of suffering are agony, distress, and misery. While all these words mean "the state of being in great trouble," suffering implies conscious endurance of pain or distress.

the suffering of famine victims

When can agony be used instead of suffering?

While in some cases nearly identical to suffering, agony suggests pain too intense to be borne.

in agony over the death of their child

When might distress be a better fit than suffering?

While the synonyms distress and suffering are close in meaning, distress implies an external and usually temporary cause of great physical or mental strain and stress.

the hurricane put everyone in great distress

When could misery be used to replace suffering?

The synonyms misery and suffering are sometimes interchangeable, but misery stresses the unhappiness attending especially sickness, poverty, or loss.

the homeless live with misery every day

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of suffering

Noun

And sometimes people in deep depression cannot tell the difference between mental pain and physical pain, because everything together is a great kind of suffering. — Terry Gross, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026

Gaza was reduced to ruins, and its people were trapped in a cycle of loss and suffering, as the conflict continued to rage. — Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026

Verb

At least Pandora’s box only unleashed all imaginable evil and suffering across a single world. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

La Mer The Rejuvenating Night Cream Despite the French name, La Mer is actually an American brand, founded by aerospace physicist Max Huber, who began experimenting with skin care after suffering burns in a lab accident. — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 9 Oct. 2026