misery

[ miz-uh-ree ]
/ ˈmɪz ə ri /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR misery ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural mis·er·ies.

wretchedness of condition or circumstances.
distress or suffering caused by need, privation, or poverty.
great mental or emotional distress; extreme unhappiness.
a cause or source of distress.
Older Use.
  1. a pain: a misery in my left side.
  2. rheumatism.
  3. Often miseries. a case or period of despondency or gloom.

Origin of misery

1325–75; Middle English miserie < Latin miseria, equivalent to miser wretched + -ia -y3

Words nearby misery

miserabilist, miserable, miserere, misericord, miserly, misery, misery index, misery loves company, misesteem, misestimate, misfeasance

Words related to misery

heartache, gloom, hardship, torture, agony, sorrow, discomfort, grief, squalor, suffering, despair, torment, woe, passion, anguish, sadness, worry, headache, misfortune, anxiety

Example sentences from the Web for misery

British Dictionary definitions for misery

misery
/ (ˈmɪzərɪ) /

noun plural -eries

intense unhappiness, discomfort, or suffering; wretchedness
a cause of such unhappiness, discomfort, etc
squalid or poverty-stricken conditions
British informal a person who is habitually depressed he is such a misery
dialect a pain or ailment

Word Origin for misery

C14: via Anglo-Norman from Latin miseria, from miser wretched

Idioms and Phrases with misery

misery