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misery

Meaning in simple English, pronunciation and examples

Pronunciation: US /ˈmɪzəri/

misery means: Great sadness or suffering in your mind or body.

noun

DEEP SUFFERINGB2

Great sadness or suffering in your mind or body.

  • She cried in misery.
  • The constant pain made his life a misery.
  • Their kindness helped end years of loneliness and misery.

Similar words: suffering, distress, unhappiness

Opposites: happiness, joy

Common phrases: deep misery, cause misery, live in misery

EXTREME POVERTYC1

A way of life marked by extreme poverty, hunger, and very poor living conditions.

  • Many families lived in misery.
  • The photographs show the misery of the city’s poorest streets.
  • Better housing helped lift them out of misery.

Similar words: destitution, poverty

Opposites: prosperity

Common phrases: live in misery, poverty and misery

PAINFUL EVENTC2

An event or problem that causes great suffering or unhappiness.

  • Illness was only one of their many miseries.
  • The family endured misery after misery.
  • She wrote about the small miseries of everyday life.

How to use it: the miseries of something (The novel describes the miseries of war.)

Similar words: misfortune, calamity, affliction

Common phrases: misery after misery, miseries of something

Questions about misery

What does misery mean?

Great sadness or suffering in your mind or body.

What is misery in other languages?

Türkçe: sefalet · Español: sufrimiento · Français: souffrance · Deutsch: Elend · Italiano: sofferenza · 日本語: 苦しみ

How do you pronounce misery?

It is pronounced /ˈmɪzəri/.

How do you use misery in a sentence?

She cried in misery. The constant pain made his life a misery.

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misery in other languages

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