Dictionary

suffer en · VERB

Pronunciation

• sŭfʹər (UK)
• /ˈsʌfɚ/ (US)
• (US) audio
• /ˈsʌfə/ (UK)
• sŭfʹər (US)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Latin sub Latin sub- Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti Proto-Italic *ferō Latin ferō Latin suffero Latin sufferre Vulgar Latin *sufferīre Old French suffrirbor. Middle English suffren English suffer From Middle English suffren, from Anglo-Norman suffrir, from Latin sufferre (“to offer, hold up, bear, suffer”), from sub- (“up, under”) + ferō (“to carry”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”). Displaced native Old English þrōwian.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To undergo hardship.
   • Many artists suffer before becoming famous.
2. (intransitive) To feel pain.
   • At least he didn't suffer when he died in the car crash.
3. (intransitive) To become worse.
   • Our correspondent found that timekeeping had suffered following the substitution of Class 5 4-6-0s on these workings. 1961 October, “Motive Power Miscellany: Scottish Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 638:
   • If you keep partying like this, your school-work will suffer.
4. (transitive) To endure, undergo.
   • If you may pleaſe to thinke I loue the King, / And through him, what’s neereſt to him, which is / Your gracious ſelfe; embrace but my direction, / If your more ponderous and ſetled proiect may ſuffer alteration. c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv]:
   • I've been suffering your insults for years.
   • We hope you never have to suffer the same pain.
   • Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return. 2013 July 6, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, archived from the original on 01 May 2024, page 68:
5. (archaic, transitive) To allow.
   • These constitute the important inflectional changes that have taken place in Modern English. There are other grammatical changes, mostly syntactical in their nature, into which the limits of this work do not suffer us to enter. 1879, Thomas Raynesford Lounsbury, History of the English Language, page 134:
   • But Iesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come vnto me: for of such is þe kingdome of heauen. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 19:14:
   • Thou shalt not suffer a witch to liue. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 22:18:
   • "Employ" includes to suffer or permit to work. 1938, The U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 203
   • […] it shall be unlawful for any person to cause, allow, permit or suffer any vehicle to be parked […] beyond the period of time established by the duration of the parking meter […] 1978, Section 31-36 of the Code of Montgomery County, Maryland

Forms

Antonyms

luxuriate · be pleased · relax

Deriveds

insufferable · sufferance · unsuffered · suffer in silence · suffer fools gladly · outsuffer · gladly suffer fools · sufferer · sufferability · suffer by comparison · sufferable · sufferfest · suffering · unsufferable · the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must · suffer from

Hypernyms

feel · perceive

Hyponyms

twinge · sting · smart

Relateds

scream · scrunch · shriek · spasm · gnash · sublation · agonized · cry out · groan · moan · sublate · wince · writhe · squirm

Synonyms

atrophy · lapse · live with · stand · pouch · decline · anguish · go wrong · spend · go left · abide · go south · wring · swallow · break down · go to hell · confound · pejorate · go sideways · go to pot · devolve · dree · allow · sweal · molder · suffer · passion · go along with · wane · thole · suffer · throe · stomach · agonize · shrivel · put up with · go downhill · permit · deteriorate · go to the dogs · forbear · deteriorate · anguish · bide · wither away · thole · wither · fall off · suffer · thole · take · worsen · accept · pocket · wanse · wark · crack · undergo · pain · hurt · bear · go bad · bear · go off · abear · ache · stick · pass · go to seed · endure · undergang · worsen · tabefy · dree · retrograde · aby · thole · brook · go pear-shaped · degenerate · take sitting down · agonize · fade · tolerate

Translations (234)

sv lida (feel pain) · hu visel (to endure, undergo) · nl lijden (feel pain) · hu elvisel (to endure, undergo) · cv тарӑх (undergo hardship) · ru вы́нести (to endure, undergo) · pt sofrer (undergo hardship) · qu llakiy (feel pain) · pl cierpieć (feel pain) · izh mookkahua (undergo hardship) · eo suferi (undergo hardship) · cs trpět (undergo hardship) · da lide (undergo hardship) · hu szenved (feel pain) · got 𐌲𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽 (feel pain) · hu enged (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · pl ucierpieć (become worse) · rm pitir (undergo hardship) · cmn 忍受 (to endure, undergo) · el υποφέρω (feel pain) · pt permitir (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · gl deixar (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · gl sufrir (to endure, undergo) · bg боли ме (feel pain) · el βασανίζομαι (undergo hardship) · ru выде́рживать (to endure, undergo) · hu eltűr (to endure, undergo) · es adolecer (feel pain) · grc πάσχω (to endure, undergo) · uk стражда́ти (feel pain) · sv låta (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · el εγκαρτερώ (to endure, undergo) · mi hīwiniwini (feel pain) · ca empitjorar (become worse) · ru дозволя́ть (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · pms patì (undergo hardship) · cmn 吃苦 (undergo hardship) · eo lasi (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · fro susfrir (undergo hardship) · it lasciare (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · ru му́чаться (undergo hardship) · ga cuir suas le (to endure, undergo) · fi kärsiä (become worse) · fr souffrir (feel pain) · gl sufrir (undergo hardship) · fur patî (undergo hardship) · grc νοσέω (feel pain) · sc patiri (undergo hardship) · ru терпе́ть (to endure, undergo) · got 𐌸𐌿𐌻𐌰𐌽 (undergo hardship) · mba antos (to endure, undergo) · fr souffrir de (become worse) · fi hyväksyä (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · ar عَانَى (to endure, undergo) · ang drēogan (undergo hardship) · he סבל (undergo hardship) · ko 겪다 (undergo hardship) · fi kitua (feel pain) · sv tillåta (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · sw teseka (to endure, undergo) · mi pākikini (feel pain) · ro suferi (feel pain) · qu llakiy (undergo hardship) · no lide (feel pain) · ltg stiļt (undergo hardship) · uk дозволяти (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · vi cảm thấy đau (feel pain) · rm piteir (undergo hardship) · xdq илгъвана (undergo hardship) · eo permesi (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · ru страда́ть (become worse) · cs trpět (feel pain) · fro susfrir (feel pain) · it soffrire (feel pain) · ht soufri (undergo hardship) · grc νοσέω (undergo hardship) · es sufrir (become worse) · sq vuaj (undergo hardship) · cy dioddef (become worse) · mi makuhea (undergo hardship) · uk терпі́ти (undergo hardship) · sq vuaj (feel pain) · uk му́читися (feel pain) · cmn 受苦 (undergo hardship) · kl anniarpoq (feel pain) · acw شِقِي (undergo hardship) · mi pākinikini (feel pain) · got 𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽 (feel pain) · gl empeorar (become worse) · ko 고통받다 (undergo hardship) · fi kärsiä (feel pain) · bg мъ́ча са (undergo hardship) · sa वहति (feel pain) · ml സഹിക്കുക (to endure, undergo) · sq heq keq (to endure, undergo) · sw teseka (undergo hardship) · de leiden (undergo hardship) · vec patir (undergo hardship) · el πάσχω (undergo hardship) · ang þrōwian (undergo hardship) · cy dioddef (feel pain) · no forverre (become worse) · ang þolian (undergo hardship) · cmn 遭受 (undergo hardship) · mi whakataumaha (undergo hardship) · ru страда́ть (undergo hardship) · sv lida (undergo hardship) · el υποφέρω (undergo hardship) · fr endurer (to endure, undergo) · sc sufriri (undergo hardship) · cs trpět (to endure, undergo) · ang þrōwian (to endure, undergo) · sk trpieť (undergo hardship) · tr kötüleşmek (become worse) · sc sufrire (undergo hardship) · qu ñak'ay (undergo hardship) · it patire (undergo hardship) · ja 苦しむ (feel pain) · ar تَأَلَّمَ (undergo hardship) · pt sofrer (to endure, undergo) · es sufrir (to endure, undergo) · tr kötüye gitmek (become worse) · ar عَانَى (undergo hardship) · la patior (undergo hardship) · hu megsínyli (become worse) · es padecer (to endure, undergo) · lv ciest (undergo hardship) · mi ngahi (undergo hardship) · hu tűr (to endure, undergo) · de leiden (feel pain) · ja 被る (undergo hardship) · fi sietää (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · izh kärsiä (undergo hardship) · gd fulaing (undergo hardship) · sc sunfrire (undergo hardship) · be пакутава́ць (undergo hardship) · ko 괴로와하다 (undergo hardship) · ro suferi (undergo hardship) · it aggravarsi (become worse) · ko 시달리다 (undergo hardship) · la doleō (feel pain) · tr çekmek (undergo hardship) · it soffrire (undergo hardship) · ca patir (undergo hardship) · eo suferi (feel pain) · ru выноси́ть (to endure, undergo) · grc πάσχω (undergo hardship) · ru вы́держать (to endure, undergo) · scn suffriri (undergo hardship) · uk стражда́ти (undergo hardship) · es sufrir (undergo hardship) · vi chịu đựng (undergo hardship) · la aggravor (become worse) · mi whakataimaha (undergo hardship) · oc sofrir (undergo hardship) · sh patiti (undergo hardship) · az əzab çəkmək (undergo hardship) · fr subir (to endure, undergo) · lmo patì (undergo hardship) · el δεινοπαθώ (undergo hardship) · fr pâtir de (become worse) · scn patiri (undergo hardship) · sc sunfriri (undergo hardship) · mi kōharihari (feel pain) · hu szenved (undergo hardship) · es empeorar (become worse) · es sufrir (feel pain) · ang āberan (to endure, undergo) · pt sofrer (feel pain) · fr souffrir (to endure, undergo) · fi kestää (to endure, undergo) · be му́чыцца (undergo hardship) · bg стра́дам (undergo hardship) · eo plimalboniĝi (become worse) · el υποφέρω (become worse) · acw عانى (undergo hardship) · grc ἀλγέω (feel pain) · el πάσχω (feel pain) · az əziyyət çəkmək (undergo hardship) · ml കഷ്ടപ്പെടുക (undergo hardship) · de erleiden (to endure, undergo) · gl permitir (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · fr souffrir (undergo hardship) · sw teseka (feel pain) · fur sufrî (undergo hardship) · pl pokutować (undergo hardship) · sl trpeti (undergo hardship) · sh патити (undergo hardship) · uk му́читися (undergo hardship) · eo toleri (to endure, undergo) · io sufrar (undergo hardship) · tr acı çekmek (undergo hardship) · ru му́чаться (feel pain) · hu kárát látja (become worse) · fi kärsiä (to endure, undergo) · la patior (to endure, undergo) · es penar (undergo hardship) · fr supporter (to endure, undergo) · it penare (undergo hardship) · fi kärsiä (undergo hardship) · es atenerse a (to endure, undergo) · pl cierpieć (undergo hardship) · ru потерпе́ть (to endure, undergo) · oc sofrir (feel pain) · sc patire (undergo hardship) · da lide (feel pain) · no lide (undergo hardship) · es padecer (undergo hardship) · ml വേദനിക്കുക (feel pain) · lt kęsti (undergo hardship) · th ตรำ (undergo hardship) · ltg cīst (undergo hardship) · fr souffrir (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · ang þrōwian (feel pain) · gl sufrir (feel pain) · it subire (to endure, undergo) · pt piorar (become worse) · el υπομένω (to endure, undergo) · rm patir (undergo hardship) · nl lijden (undergo hardship) · pl znosić (to endure, undergo) · pt deixar (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · es padecer (feel pain) · ru страда́ть (feel pain) · ca sofrir (undergo hardship) · ja 我慢する (to endure, undergo) · el επιτρέπω (''(archaic in English)'' to allow) · eo doloriĝi (feel pain) · ru пострада́ть (become worse) · oc patir (undergo hardship) · qu muchuy (undergo hardship) · no lide (to endure, undergo) · izh kärsiä (feel pain) · ca sofrir (feel pain)