suffering 1 of 3

suffering

2 of 3

noun

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

2
3
4

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

Examples of suffering in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
How to make meaning of one’s life, of life itself and the evanescence of memories, in the midst of pain and suffering? Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2024 No one is spared the suffering that comes with commercial air travel, no matter how elaborate first-class amenities have become. Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 18 Sep. 2024 The violence in the film echoes scenes capturing the abuse of African slaves in Ava Duvernay’s Origin, in protagonist Isabel Wilkerson suggests a connection between the treatment of Black people under the transatlantic slave trade and the suffering of the Jewish people in the Holocaust. Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2024 The suffering that predisposes someone to addiction doesn’t have to be overt. Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for suffering 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'suffering.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near suffering

Cite this Entry

“Suffering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffering. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on suffering

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!