misery

noun

mis·​ery ˈmi-zə-rē 

ˈmiz-rē

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]

Synonyms of misery

• agony
• nightmare
• torture
• horror
• torment

Choose the Right Synonym for misery

distress, suffering, misery, agony mean the state of being in great trouble.

distress implies an external and usually temporary cause of great physical or mental strain and stress.

the hurricane put everyone in great distress

suffering implies conscious endurance of pain or distress.

the suffering of famine victims

misery stresses the unhappiness attending especially sickness, poverty, or loss.

some people live in misery every day

agony suggests pain too intense to be borne.

in agony over the death of their child

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

The world may have looked grim in what was also a penultimate week before elections, when the focus becomes necessarily not on joy but misery, the political premise being the winning candidate is the one who makes the electorate the angriest. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026

Plus, to your other point, any contender is one injury away from misery, as the Warriors have shown with Stephen Curry in recent years or the Pacers showed with Tyrese Halliburton this season (while accepting the Celtics as an outlier). —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 2 June 2026

Maradona scored a wonder goal a few minutes later to compound England’s misery. —Tushaar Kuthiala, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 June 2026

Whatever pleasure could be had in Nate’s comeuppance was undone by his humiliation dragging out for hours before being put out of his misery; Cassie’s next act as a hype-house doyenne is only handwaved at, and any responsibility for Nate’s unpaid debts handwaved entirely. —Alison Herman, Variety, 1 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing misery

• misery guts
• misery index
• put (an animal) out of its misery

Kids 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