1
as in agony
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
the flood brought misery to the many hundreds whom it had made homeless
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
a medication that promises to provide greater relief to those living in chronic misery because of arthritis
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
About 12 million Africans were forcefully taken by European nations from the 16th to the 19th century and enslaved on plantations that built wealth at the price of misery.
—
ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
The transition from agricultural employment to factory employment involved wrenching mass migration, the utter misery of the Great Depression (as well as other brutal recessions, now faded from collective memory), and the painful dealmaking of the New Deal.
—Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
In contrast, his wife, Chandravati, is selfish as a daughter-in-law and disrespects Swasthani, leading to enormous misery for her.
—Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Another 1-0 defeat at Villa, where the home supporters basked in Newcastle’s misery — nobody does schadenfreude quite like football fans — ended the club’s 16-year stay in the top flight.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misery
ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
The transition from agricultural employment to factory employment involved wrenching mass migration, the utter misery of the Great Depression (as well as other brutal recessions, now faded from collective memory), and the painful dealmaking of the New Deal.
—Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
In contrast, his wife, Chandravati, is selfish as a daughter-in-law and disrespects Swasthani, leading to enormous misery for her.
—Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Another 1-0 defeat at Villa, where the home supporters basked in Newcastle’s misery — nobody does schadenfreude quite like football fans — ended the club’s 16-year stay in the top flight.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misery
Noun
-
The public markets’ agony may for the foreseeable future make assets less expensive, while AI urgency remains high.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
After walking for just a few minutes, their legs would painfully freeze up, as if turning to rock — an agony no doctor could explain.—
Alexandra Sifferlin,
STAT,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There is a long history of women's pain being dismissed by doctors, incorrectly categorized as period pain or rooted in psychological distress.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The lawsuit accuses the driver, named as a defendant, of assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Their dream home is still a dream except that these people are making their backyard, their beach, a nightmare.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
-
David Mirković is a mismatch nightmare.—
Sean Hammond,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Bank, a New York surgeon who founded a clinic focused on post-mastectomy pain, said the pain is believed to be triggered by nerves that are severed during surgery and then left that way.—
Brett Kelman,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Falter said there was some lingering pain on Wednesday.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Amnesty International has said that the use of the death penalty under the new measure could violate the right to life and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as enshrined in international law.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Pearl, now 42, pleaded guilty to murder in February 2018 and admitted to a special circumstance allegation of murder involving torture.—
Rick Montanez,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But some congregants’ anguish over October 7th was compounded by dread about Israel’s brutal, indiscriminate response.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Accenting the anguish by bizarre apparent coincidence, less than two weeks later the National Basketball Rules Committee reinstated the dunk — it had been banned for nearly a decade at the amateur level.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The plot attends both to twentieth-century horrors, such as Ukraine’s Holodomor, and to what Reed saw coming, in social media’s incessant threat to our inner life.—
Stephanie Burt,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
-
In the horror sequel, Josh Hutcherson and Elizabeth Lail return to face new foes as well the old murderous animatronic animals of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
At least the looseness of discomfort was made tangible now, defined by both taste and texture.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Despite these capabilities, the technology still faces limitations—early adopters report issues such as short battery life, overheating and discomfort during extended wear.—
Thomas Westerholm,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misery. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
