misery en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- mĭzʹə-rē (General-American)
- /ˈmɪz(ə)ɹɪ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (US) audio
- /ˈmɪz(ə)ɹi/ (General-American)
- mĭzʹrē (General-American)
Etymology
From Middle English miserie, from Old French miserie (modern: misère), from Latin miseria, from miser, equivalent to miser + -y. Doublet of misère and mizeria.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) Great unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind; wretchedness; distress; woe.
Ever since his wife left him you can see the misery on his face.
For miſerie doth braueſt mindes abate, / And make them ſeeke for that they wont to ſcorne, / Of fortune and of hope at once forlorne.
1578–1579, Edmund Spenser, “Prosopopoia. Or Mother Hubberds Tale. [...] Dedicated to the Right Honorable the Ladie Compton and Mountegle”, in Complaints. Containing Sundrie Small Poemes of the Worlds Vanitie. Whereof the Next Page Maketh Mention, London: Imprinted for VVilliam Ponsonbie, dwelling in Paules Churchyard at the signe of the Bishops head, published 1591, →OCLC:It was not just the confusion that unhappiness brings, it was not just the loneliness, it was the despair that accompanies all those emotions that turns unhappiness into utter misery.
2008, Charlotte Bingham, The Land of Summer:Then, in January, a creeping tsunami of train cancellations, triggered by major staff absences as a result of the aggressive transmissibility of Omicron, heaped further misery on rail users.
2022 January 12, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Unhappy start to 2022”, in RAIL, number 948, page 3:
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(UK, US, countable, dialectal, uncountable) A bodily ache or pain.
[...] and I had a misery in my left breast and shoulder. I was hurt, but knew not how or how much.
1868, John Vestal Hadley, Seven Months a Prisoner, page 15:
- (countable, uncountable) Cause of misery; calamity; misfortune.
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(countable, qualifier:Extreme, uncountable) poverty.
The Widdow that hath but a pan of braſſe, […] Muſt pay her Landlord many a groat, Or twil be puld out of her throat: […] The rich haue all, the poore liue in miſerie: […]
1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], →OCLC, Act I:
- (archaic, countable, uncountable) greed; avarice.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| miseries | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
misery guts · long streak of misery · misery whip · misery lit · Fat Man's Misery · misery enjoys company · misery porn · misery index · put someone out of their misery · misery loves company · Misery · miseryguts · mountain misery
Relateds
miser · miserable · commiserate
Synonyms
wretchedness · mendicity · penury · dejection · greed · dolefulness · mirthless · crestfallenness · drearihead · Mammon · downheartedness · grief · rapacity · undelight · unhappiness · depression · poverty · sorrow · sorrow · distress · cupidity · rapaciousness · pain · indigence · prosternation · hardship · voracity · misery · ravin · pauperism · woe · heartsore · covetousness · reduced circumstances · grievance · forlornness · covetise · grief · ruth · rue · ruth · straitened circumstances · woefare · misery · sorrowfulness · infelicity · grief · impecuniousness · mendicancy · ill-being · adversity · despondency · neediness · woe · wark · woe · dejection · wrong · gluttony · tristesse · greediness · blueness · destitution · vexation · blues · beggary · affliction · brokeness · mishappiness · melancholy · sorrow · distress · mourn · undelight · regret · tristfulness · sadness · sadness · melancholia · misery · privation · impecuniosity · misery · avarice · aggrievance
Translations (139)
ar تَعَاسَة (great unhappiness) · de Misere (great unhappiness) · uk го́ре (great unhappiness) · ka წვალება (great unhappiness) · sh бе́да (great unhappiness) · pl nieszczęście (great unhappiness) · ka ტანჯვა (great unhappiness) · es infortunio (cause of misery, misfortune) · ru нищета́ (poverty — see also poverty) · be гале́ча (poverty — see also poverty) · pl bieda (poverty — see also poverty) · az dərd (great unhappiness) · ga galar (great unhappiness) · hi दुर्दशा (great unhappiness) · el αθλιότης (great unhappiness) · fi kärsimys (great unhappiness) · ka გაჭირვება (great unhappiness) · pt miséria (cause of misery, misfortune) · he אומללות (great unhappiness) · ru невзго́ды (cause of misery, misfortune) · uk бі́дність (poverty — see also poverty) · inc-oas বিলাই (great unhappiness) · cmn 苦難 /苦难 (great unhappiness) · ru беда́ (great unhappiness) · ca misèria (great unhappiness) · bg нищета́ (poverty — see also poverty) · ja 惨めさ (great unhappiness) · pl męka (great unhappiness) · pdt Jauma (great unhappiness) · lb Misär (great unhappiness) · la miseria (great unhappiness) · es sinvivir (great unhappiness) · ru бе́дность (poverty — see also poverty) · sk nešťastie (great unhappiness) · sh бије́да (great unhappiness) · pt penúria (poverty — see also poverty) · sh béda (great unhappiness) · mi kōtonga (great unhappiness) · bg страда́ние (great unhappiness) · ar شَقَاوَة (great unhappiness) · cs bída (great unhappiness) · tr sefalet (great unhappiness) · as বিলৈ (great unhappiness) · pt miséria (great unhappiness) · oc misèria (great unhappiness) · cs neštěstí (great unhappiness) · es estrechez (poverty — see also poverty) · pt indigência (poverty — see also poverty) · io mizero (great unhappiness) · gl laceira (great unhappiness) · ru страда́ние (great unhappiness) · es miseria (poverty — see also poverty) · cs hoře (great unhappiness) · nl ellende (great unhappiness) · sl nesreča (great unhappiness) · ja 悲惨 (great unhappiness) · ja 苦痛 (great unhappiness) · sv elände (great unhappiness) · hi दुःख (great unhappiness) · gl miseria (great unhappiness) · be го́ра (great unhappiness) · sv misär (great unhappiness) · ru несча́стье (great unhappiness) · cmn 不幸 (great unhappiness) · bg неща́стие (great unhappiness) · it miseria (great unhappiness) · cmn 悲慘 /悲惨 (great unhappiness) · lad mizerya (great unhappiness) · uk нужда́ (poverty — see also poverty) · sl beda (great unhappiness) · pt miséria (poverty — see also poverty) · ht mizè (great unhappiness) · uk неща́стя (great unhappiness) · fi kurjuus (poverty — see also poverty) · es desdicha (cause of misery, misfortune) · cmn 痛苦 (great unhappiness) · tr sefillik (great unhappiness) · es desgracia (cause of misery, misfortune) · mk беда (great unhappiness) · gl mesquindade (poverty — see also poverty) · eo mizero (great unhappiness) · sh ја̏д (great unhappiness) · gl miseria (poverty — see also poverty) · da elendighed (great unhappiness) · pl nieszczęście (cause of misery, misfortune) · it accidente (cause of misery, misfortune) · be няшча́сце (great unhappiness) · uk зли́дні (poverty — see also poverty) · grc πῆμα (great unhappiness) · bg бе́дност (poverty — see also poverty) · sa दुःख (great unhappiness) · sv misär (poverty — see also poverty) · ur دکھ (great unhappiness) · be бяда́ (great unhappiness) · fi puutteenalaisuus (poverty — see also poverty) · cmn 苦痛 (great unhappiness) · fi ahdinko (poverty — see also poverty) · es miseria (great unhappiness) · es egestad (poverty — see also poverty) · de Elend (great unhappiness) · fi kova onni (cause of misery, misfortune) · ru го́ре (great unhappiness) · ka წამება (great unhappiness) · az qada (great unhappiness) · ro mizerie (great unhappiness) · bg несго́да (cause of misery, misfortune) · ml ദുരിതം (great unhappiness) · ka სიღარიბე (poverty — see also poverty) · ga aimléis (great unhappiness) · az bəla (great unhappiness) · ka უბედურება (great unhappiness) · sv elände (poverty — see also poverty) · az fəlakət (great unhappiness) · az müsibət (great unhappiness) · pdt Älent (great unhappiness) · uk біда́ (great unhappiness) · sh jȁd (great unhappiness) · sk bieda (great unhappiness) · ru му́ка (great unhappiness) · sv armod (poverty — see also poverty) · fi onnettomuus (cause of misery, misfortune) · es penuria (poverty — see also poverty) · aeb مِيزِيريَا (great unhappiness) · ka გასაჭირი (great unhappiness) · sh bijéda (great unhappiness) · fi kurjuus (great unhappiness) · sv nöd (poverty — see also poverty) · ka სიღატაკე (poverty — see also poverty) · ml ദുരിതം (cause of misery, misfortune) · ha uƙuba (great unhappiness) · az səfalət (poverty — see also poverty) · es indigencia (poverty — see also poverty) · hu nyomor (great unhappiness) · ota شقا (great unhappiness) · pt desgraça (cause of misery, misfortune) · gl laceira (poverty — see also poverty) · fr misère (great unhappiness) · fi surkeus (great unhappiness) · as দুৰ্দশা (great unhappiness)