Misery

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: mis=er=y

CIDE DICTIONARY

Misery, n. [OE. miserie, L. miseria, fr. miser wretched: cf. F. misère, OF. also, miserie.].

•  Great unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind; wretchedness; distress; woe.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

  "Destruction and misery are in their ways."  [1913 Webster]
•  Cause of misery; calamity; misfortune.  [1913 Webster]

  "When we our betters see bearing our woes,
  We scarcely think our miseries our foes."  [1913 Webster]
•  Covetousness; niggardliness; avarice.  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Wretchedness; torture; agony; torment; anguish; distress; calamity; misfortune.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Misery, n. (pl. -ies)
1 a wretched state of mind, or of outward circumstances.
2 a thing causing this.
3 colloq. a constantly depressed or discontented person.
4 = MIS

Idiom

put out of its etc. misery
1 release (a person, animal, etc.) from suffering or suspense.
2 kill (an animal in pain).

Usage

RE.

Etymology

ME f. OF misere or L miseria (as MISER)

THESAURUS

Misery

Cassandra, Schmerz, ache, aches and pains, aching heart, adversity, affliction, agony, agony of mind, angst, anguish, anxiety, bale, bitterness, bleeding heart, broken heart, burden, calamity, care, carking care, catastrophe, cheerlessness, crushing, curse, cynic, dampener, damper, dejection, depression, depth of misery, desolation, despair, desperation, despondency, destitution, disaster, discomfort, discontent, displeasure, distress, dolor, extremity, gloom, gloomy Gus, grief, grimness, grouch, grump, hardship, heartache, heartfelt grief, heartgrief, heavy heart, humorlessness, hurt, hurting, indigence, infelicity, infestivity, joylessness, killjoy, lamentation, languishment, malaise, malcontent, melancholia, melancholy, mirthlessness, misfortune, ordeal, pain, pang, passion, penury, pessimist, pining, poverty, privation, prophet of doom, prostration, sadness, sordidness, sorrow, sorrowing, sourpuss, spoilsport, squalor, stitch, suffering, suicidal despair, throe, trial, tribulation, trouble, twinge, uncheerfulness, unhappiness, unjoyfulness, unmirthfulness, wet blanket, woe, wretchedness

ROGET THESAURUS

Misery

Pain

N mental suffering, pain, dolor, suffering, sufferance, ache, smart, passion, displeasure, dissatisfaction, discomfort, discomposure, disquiet, malaise, inquietude, uneasiness, vexation of spirit, taking, discontent, dejection, weariness, anhedonia, annoyance, irritation, worry, infliction, visitation, plague, bore, bother, botheration, stew, vexation, mortification, chagrin, esclandre, mauvais quart d'heur, care, anxiety, solicitude, trouble, trial, ordeal, fiery ordeal, shock, blow, cark, dole, fret, burden, load, concern, grief, sorrow, distress, affliction, woe, bitterness, heartache, carking cares, heavy heart, aching heart, bleeding heart, broken heart, heavy affliction, gnawing grief, unhappiness, infelicity, misery, tribulation, wretchedness, desolation, despair, extremity, prostration, depth of misery, nightmare, ephialtes, incubus, pang, anguish, agony, torture, torment, purgatory, hell upon earth, iron age, reign of terror, slough of despond, peck of troubles, ills that flesh is heir to, miseries of human life, unkindest cut of all, sufferer, victim, prey, martyr, object of compassion, wretch, shorn lamb, in pain, in a state of pain, full of pain, suffering, pained, afflicted, worried, displeased, aching, griped, sore, on the rack, in limbo, between hawk and buzzard, uncomfortable, uneasy, ill at ease, in a taking, in a way, disturbed, discontented, out of humor, weary, heavy laden, stricken, crushed, a prey to, victimized, ill-used, unfortunate, to be pitied, doomed, devoted, accursed, undone, lost, stranded, fey, unhappy, infelicitous, poor, wretched, miserable, woe-begone, cheerless, careworn, concerned, sorry, sorrowing, sorrowful, cut up, chagrined, horrified, horror-stricken, in grief, plunged in grief, a prey to grief, in tears, steeped to the lips in misery, heart-stricken, heart-broken, heart-scalded, broken-hearted, in despair, the iron entered into our soul, haeret lateri lethalis arundo, one's heart bleeding, down, thou climbing sorrow, mirth cannot move a soul in agony, nessun maggior dolere che ricordarsi del tempo fel, sorrow's crown of sorrow is remembering happier th, the Niobe of Nations.