suffering 1 of 3

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

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suffering

2 of 3

adjective

suffering

3 of 3

noun

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

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 suffering
Adjective
Examining the question of how young people living in comparative comfort and who rarely experience threats or physical suffering can eventually kill, Bushman stressed that most research questions whether there’s any real link between such actions and experiencing violent movies, TV, or video games. John Scott Lewinski, The Washington Examiner, 10 Oct. 2025 While many governments defended Israel's initial right to respond to the attack, the scale of civilian death and suffering wrought by its war have drawn increasing international condemnation and isolation for the Jewish state. Alexander Smith, NBC news, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
Candy, who died at 43 after suffering a heart attack in 1994, didn't film scenes with Macaulay Culkin in the film, but the two starred together in 1989's Uncle Buck. Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025 Miami dialed back the team’s spending with the exception of offensive guard James Daniels, who spent all of three snaps on the field before suffering a peck injury that will keep him sidelined till maybe midseason. Omar Kelly updated October 6, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for suffering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffering
Verb
  • What To Know Lebda founded LendingTree in 1996 after experiencing his own difficulties obtaining a first mortgage.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The passenger vehicle collided with a work truck that had been pulled over onto the right shoulder after experiencing a tire blow out.
    Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The 27-year-old is still grieving the loss of Stone, who died on March 1 at the age of 63 in a car crash in Alabama.
    Essence, Essence, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Sibling grief is real and powerful, but it's often overlooked, especially when the grieving sibling is a young child.
    Rachel Hale, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Landing in dozens of African countries entailed negotiating with just as many different, and sometimes outdated, regulatory and permitting regimes.
    Samanth Subramanian, The Dial, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami also is permitting open carry.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Then in the most recent three games, Dallas had the game against the Packers in the palm of its hand, before letting Jordan Love walk all over it in the final minute of the game.
    Greg Liodice, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
  • White’s legal team challenged it, and in late 2022 an appeals court ruled that the judge had erred in not letting White withdraw his guilty plea.
    Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Because of that, diabetes distress has been linked to other serious mental health issues.
    Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Family members of the victims filed defamation and emotional distress lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas, where Jones’ Infowars talk show is based.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Though celebrities such as Kylie Jenner and Meghan Trainor have promoted implants, with the latter emphasizing how the procedure improved her body image, others have been open about undergoing removal due to various mental and physical impacts.
    KiMi Robinson, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
  • After undergoing surgery to repair the damage, Garland’s initial recovery timetable was projected at four to five months, placing his potential return within the early portion of the 2025-26 season.
    Evan Dammarell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The team's other star tackle Taylor Decker, meanwhile, talked about the daily struggle of keeping his aching shoulder ready for gameday.
    Christian Romo, Freep.com, 2 Oct. 2025
  • In any case, these are Beckett’s drifters, no doubt, right down to the aching feet and bad breath.
    Greg Evans, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Two weeks after an upset loss to visiting Cal Poly and a week after having a off-night bye to think about a season that could go either way, Sacramento State delivered a resounding 55-27 victory over Weber State on Saturday night in chilly Ogden, Utah.
    Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2025
  • The protests are organized by progressive organization Indivisible, with cities having their own branch.
    Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Suffering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffering. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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