Synonym Chooser

How does the noun misery differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of misery are agony, distress, and suffering. While all these words mean "the state of being in great trouble," misery stresses the unhappiness attending especially sickness, poverty, or loss.

the homeless live with misery every day

When could agony be used to replace misery?

The synonyms agony and misery are sometimes interchangeable, but agony suggests pain too intense to be borne.

in agony over the death of their child

When is it sensible to use distress instead of misery?

The meanings of distress and misery largely overlap; however, distress implies an external and usually temporary cause of great physical or mental strain and stress.

the hurricane put everyone in great distress

When is suffering a more appropriate choice than misery?

The words suffering and misery are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, suffering implies conscious endurance of pain or distress.

the suffering of famine victims

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of misery As time wears on, her misery gives way to flulike symptoms that send her to bed with fatigue, vomiting and chills. Natalia Winkelman, New York Times, 15 May 2025 Satan is a lover of strangeness and coincidence—of exposing the happiness of humans as a prelude to their misery, and sometimes their misery as a prelude to happiness. Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025 In the studio, a bad idea can be put out of its misery within a few minutes. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 30 May 2025 The Athletic reflects on their 2024-25 efforts, culminating in a 14th-place finish, that caused more misery than joy. Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 28 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for misery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misery
Noun
  • And that gave him some kind of legitimacy after 40 years of agony, derided by the music press.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2025
  • For more than a year, the Perry family waited in agony for answers.
    Christina Coulter, People.com, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • The report highlights research on young adults that shows that trans students who participate in collegiate sports are less likely to experience distress, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.
    Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 6 June 2025
  • That places an onerous burden on Henson, doing her considerable best trying to sustain a role whose Job-like travails crank the distress level to 11 too soon.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • Left-hander Reid Detmers, whose three-game nightmare stretch a month ago began with a game in Seattle, struck out two in a scoreless inning, including Mariners star Cal Raleigh.
    Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 7 June 2025
  • For rule-followers like me, the prankster types were a nightmare.
    Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • Demographics of Los Angeles show its a fertile ground for anti-ICE protests Palpable fear and pain On the same day Hernandez shared his grief with USA TODAY, 700 U.S. Marines arrived in Los Angeles.
    Terry Collins, USA Today, 13 June 2025
  • How permanent? were questions that Bearden suggested the jury consider to guide the panel’s deliberation on Elijah’s pain and his family’s loss of companionship and mental anguish.
    Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 June 2025
Noun
  • As many as 40,000 Ravensbrück inmates died of starvation, disease, torture, shooting, lethal injections, medical experiments, and from lethal gas.
    Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 4 June 2025
  • Secretary Noem argues the program has been abused, but immigration advocacy groups have warned that many immigrants would be vulnerable to abuse, torture, or arrest should they be forced to return home.
    Dan Gooding Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
Noun
  • Among the thousands left in anguish is Sasha Escalante, a 44-year-old Venezuelan radio producer living in Miami.
    Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025
  • Criminalizing them can lead to extended mental anguish.
    Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
Noun
  • Phobias, a silent clown duo with a horror twist, brought eerie theatrics to the stage — complete with balloon popping and unsettling surprises — and successfully freaked out the judges (especially Howie Mandel).
    Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 4 June 2025
  • Within moments of his arrival, the church became the site of an unspeakable horror — the beheading of several people in the congregation.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 June 2025
Noun
  • My hips and my neck don’t feel any sort of scrunch or discomfort, which is a huge plus.
    Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 13 June 2025
  • Symptoms of fatty liver are usually absent but, if present, include mild stomach discomfort or fatigue.17 9.
    Jonathan Purtell, Verywell Health, 13 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Misery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misery. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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