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.

Synonyms

• agony
• Gehenna
• hell
• horror
• murder
• nightmare
• torment
• torture

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.

the homeless live with 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

No, what was off was the timing, the misery of the moment. —David Remnick, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Why did fate try to put the dog out of his misery now? —Tim Ellis, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Then, according to this friend, Chambers ran the cat over again with his own car, putting it out of his misery. —David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024

The miseries and triumphs of Mr. Greenfield’s life exemplified the classic tale of immigration to America. —Alex Traub, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024

So, this pokes fun at that — the gloss and the misery of modern sports gambling. —Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2024

That Communist-era drama concerned a female taxi driver who’s similarly tooling around Bucharest, her misery equal to that of Manolache’s contemporary Angela, even though Jude’s protagonist seemingly lives in a freer society than the one once ruled by Nicolae Ceaușescu. —Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024

Yet its austere arrangements and calmed emotions tap into something peaceful: a sense of acceptance about the world, and all its human joys and miseries. —Jeremy Gordon, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024

Miserable tea Eventually, the misery of wabi made its way into one of Japan’s most iconic traditions: tea. —Paul S. Atkins, The Conversation, 12 Mar. 2024

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