misery — great unhappiness and emotional or physical pain
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: great unhappiness and emotional or physical pain
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈmɪzəri/
Example Sentences
- After watching 10 hours of boring lectures, the students were in absolute misery.
- The war brought nothing but death and misery to the innocent civilians.
- My phone battery died right before my important presentation - pure misery!
misery
NOUN[/ˈmɪzəri/]
great unhappiness and emotional or physical pain

Soaked and shivering, he stares at his broken umbrella in pure misery.

History's mystery breeds endless misery
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The word derives from Latin miseria, meaning 'wretchedness' or 'miserable condition.' It conceptually opposes misericordia (mercy or compassion), expressing the suffering felt in circumstances devoid of compassion or relief.
Breakdown
mis- (bad, wretched) + -eria (condition, state). The Latin miseria passed through Old French miserie before entering Middle English as misery, retaining its sense of extreme suffering or wretchedness.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“After watching 10 hours of boring lectures, the students were in absolute misery.”
“The war brought nothing but death and misery to the innocent civilians.”
“My phone battery died right before my important presentation - pure misery!”
“The refugees fled their homeland to escape the misery of persecution.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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