miserymis‧e‧ry /ˈmɪzəri/ ●●○ S3 noun (plural miseries) 
What we are witnessing here is human misery on a vast scale. the misery of unemployment the miseries of war2[countable, uncountable] great unhappiness: She looked away so that Tom wouldn’t see her misery. His face was a picture of sheer misery (=great unhappiness, with no other emotion). The news plunged him into abject misery (=extreme unhappiness).3make somebody’s life a misery British English to cause so much trouble for someone that they cannot enjoy their life: Competitive mothers can make their daughters’ lives a misery.4put something/somebody out of their misery a)informal to make someone stop feeling worried, especially by telling them something they are waiting to hear: Go on, put them out of their misery and announce the winner. b)to kill a sick or injured animal in order to end its suffering SYN put down: I think you should put the poor creature out of its misery.5[countable] British English spoken someone who is always complaining and never enjoys anything: Don’t be such a misery. What’s the matter with you, misery guts (=a name for someone like this)?
WORD ORIGINmisery
Origin:
1300-1400 Old French miserie, from Latin miseria, from miser; ➔ MISEREXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Don't invite her. She's such a misery!
- He talked openly about the misery of his marriage.
- It started with a sore throat and became a week of total misery.
- Stop grumbling, you old misery.
- The high interest rates caused misery for millions of people.
- We cannot ignore the misery of the people in this country who are forced to live on the streets.
- You're just bringing all this misery on yourself.
- Being paid was sheer misery for many.
- I was tagging along, comforting a man in misery until he started teaching.
- Morris further believed that forcing anyone to be active during the contemplative phase, or vice versa, causes utter misery.
- Some children spent their entire schooldays in unrelieved misery.
- The flight from the countryside has compounded the misery of the urban poor, traditionally the bedrock of Sandinista support.
- The second half brought more misery.
- The shattering plate might as well have struck him, for the pain and the misery on his face.
THESAURUS
a sad feeling, caused especially when a happy time is ending, or when you feel sorry about someone else’s unhappiness: · Charles felt a great sense of sadness and loss.· I noticed a little sadness in her eyes.
the unhappy feeling you have when you are in a very difficult or unpleasant situation, especially when this lasts for a long time: · After years of unhappiness, she finally decided to leave him.· She was a tense, nervous young woman, whose deep unhappiness was obvious to all those around her.· You do not know how much pain and unhappiness you have caused.
written the feeling of being very sad, especially because someone has died or because terrible things have happened to you: · There seemed to be nowhere to go to be alone with her sorrow.· His heart was filled with great sorrow after her death.
great unhappiness, caused especially by living or working in very bad conditions: · The cold weather is with us again and the misery of the homeless is increasing.· Thousands of families were destined to a life of misery.· The misery and pain he caused were, for him, merely a measure of his success.
a feeling of great unhappiness, because very bad things have happened and you have no hope that anything will change: · At the end of the month, she still had no job and was tired, frustrated, and close to despair.
great sadness that you feel when someone you love has died: · He was overcome with grief when his wife died.
a strong feeling of great sadness, especially because you miss someone you love: · She remembered the heartache of the first Christmas spent away from her sons.
a mental illness that makes someone feel so unhappy that they have no energy or hope for the future, and they cannot live a normal life: · He slipped into a depression in which he hardly ate or even left his room.
formal a feeling of being very unhappy and without hope: · She felt useless, and this contributed to her despondency.
literary a feeling of sadness, that you feel even though there is no particular reason for it: · Modigliani expressed his melancholy through his painting.
Longman Language Activatoroften behaving in an angry, unfriendly way · Her father was a bad-tempered man who sat alone drinking beer and watching TV most nights.· As Aunt Matilde's pain grew worse, she became too bad-tempered to see anyone.
angry and unfriendly, and often complaining about things: · a grumpy old man· Sandy is always grouchy in the mornings.
especially British someone who is disagreeable is bad-tempered and very unfriendly and behaves in an unpleasant way towards people: · It's impossible to have a normal conversation with your father - he's always so disagreeable.· The landlord is an extremely disagreeable man. Have as little to do with him as possible.
often becoming annoyed or unhappy, especially when there seems to be no good reason to: · Tammy's been moody and emotional all day.· a moody teenager
behaving in a bad-tempered way towards other people, especially because you are always nervous or worried about something: · I wish you would stop being so uptight.uptight about: · My parents have always been uptight about me dating boys.
an old person who is cantankerous is bad-tempered and complains and quarrels a lot: · As Ethel grew older, she became more cantankerous.· Brooks is the committee's cantankerous chairman.
British spoken use this about someone who is always complaining and never seems to enjoy anything: · Stop grumbling, you old misery.· Don't invite her. She's such a misery!
someone who is surly behaves in a bad-tempered, rude, and unhelpful way when dealing with people: · Passengers complained about the dirty lavatory and surly staff.· Kevin can be really surly sometimes.· I declined to tip the porter, who left with a surly expression.
someone who is always complaining someone who is always complaining: · Her dad's a terrible grouch.· You're such a grouch in the morning.
British informal someone who is always complaining, is never happy, and does not like other people to enjoy themselves: · Emma is a real misery guts.· Stop being such a misery. It's not the end of the world.
British informal someone who keeps complaining in an annoying way - use this when someone is complaining about something that is not important or is something they could change if they wanted to: · This place is full of whingers. It's just pathetic.·
a sad feeling a sad feeling, caused especially when a happy time is ending, or when you feel sorry about someone else's unhappiness: · Her eyes were full of sadness.with (great) sadness: · I remembered with great sadness all the friends I had left behind.sense of sadness: · After her death, Charles felt a great sense of sadness and loss.
the unhappy feeling you have when you are in a very difficult or unpleasant situation: · After years of unhappiness, she finally decided to leave him.· There is no doubt that unhappiness contributes to ill health.· You've no idea what unhappiness you cause your parents when you say that you want to leave home.
especially written great sadness that you feel when someone you love has died: · Thousands of people sent floral tributes as an expression of their grief.· He was overcome with grief when his wife died.
a mental illness that makes someone feel so unhappy that they have no energy or hope for the future, and they cannot live a normal life: · The family had a history of alcoholism and depression.· Mild symptoms of anxiety and depression are often associated with social difficulties.deep/severe depression: · My father had suffered from severe depression for many years.
a feeling of sadness that is not very serious, that you get sometimes for no particular reason: get/have the blues: · I often get the blues in February, before the spring arrives.a fit of the blues: · It's very common for new mothers to have a fit of the blues after giving birth.the Monday/post-Christmas etc blues: · Most people know what it's like to have the Monday morning blues.
great unhappiness, caused especially by living or working in very bad conditions: · The high interest rates caused misery for millions of people.the misery of something/somebody: · He talked openly about the misery of his marriage.· We cannot ignore the misery of the people in this country who are forced to live on the streets.
written a feeling of sadness, especially one that continues for a long time: · He was a strange man, prone to melancholy and bouts of drinking.· Jake was fourteen and suffering from adolescent melancholy.
written the feeling of being very sad, especially because someone has died or because terrible things have happened to you: · deep/great sorrow: · The deep sorrow she felt was obvious in the expression of her face.in sorrow: · He turned quickly away, more in sorrow than in anger.to somebody's sorrow: · Six weeks later we heard, to our great sorrow, that he had died.
a feeling of unhappiness and worry, that often continues for a long time and is usually caused by problems in your personal life and relationships: · Her relationship with Tyler had brought her a great deal of heartache.· Being unpopular at school can cause real heartache to children of any age.save/spare (somebody) a lot of heartache (=stop someone worrying and feeling unhappy): · If she had simply called them, her parents would have been spared a lot of heartache.
formal a feeling of unhappiness, especially because you have been very disappointed and feel that you cannot change a situation: · Robyn walked away from the hospital with a feeling of despondency.· The sense of well-being of the 1980s was replaced by a mood of despondency.gloom/doom and despondency: · The atmosphere amongst the workers was one of gloom and despondency.
a feeling of great unhappiness, because very bad things have happened and you have no hope that anything will change: · I could see hunger, exhaustion and despair in their eyes.· There was a mood of despair about the quality of urban and industrial life.in despair: · Left all alone in her room, she was in despair.the depths of despair: · It seems that he had reached the depths of despair, and he finally took his own life.
to make someone feel less worried to make someone feel less worried, especially by saying something to comfort them: · I tried to reassure her by saying that the police would arrive soon.· 'No one can ever take your spirit away from you,' my mother reassured me.reassure that: · The company has reassured its workers that there will be no job losses this year.· She returned to her motel, reassured by the nurses that her husband would be quite all right.
also set/put somebody's mind at ease to make someone feel less worried, especially by giving them information that shows they do not need to worry: · The doctor set my mind at rest by explaining exactly what effect the drug would have on me.· Just to put your mind at ease, we will get a second opinion from a cardiac specialist.
informal to tell someone something that they have been waiting anxiously to find out: · Come on Robyn, put me out of my misery. Who won?· Eventually, we put him out of his misery and told him he'd passed.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY His face was a picture of sheer misery (=great unhappiness, with no other emotion). The news plunged him into abject misery (=extreme unhappiness). What’s the matter with you, misery guts (=a name for someone like this)?COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The floods have caused untold misery to hundreds of homeowners.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
His face was a picture of sheer misery (=great unhappiness, with no other emotion). The news plunged him into abject misery (=extreme unhappiness). What’s the matter with you, misery guts (=a name for someone like this)? The floods have caused untold misery to hundreds of homeowners.· But for some, who didn't get the grades they hoped for, there's abject misery.· For the first three years he endured abject misery.
· Equally it has to be acknowledged that misguided and failed protest has added to the sum of human misery.· Organized psychiatry must publicly articulate our vision, positions and commitment to the amelioration of human misery.· Along with social and economic instability, they are among the main sources of crisis, loss of life and human misery.
· That had led to the war, and to untold misery before that, for several generations.· It's a familiar scene that can cause workers untold misery and loss of self-confidence.· Its regime - which Prince Philip believed would turn his sons into real men - had caused Charles untold misery and damage.
VERB· To add to their misery, the flight was delayed when the plane had to land at Belfast because of bad weather.· Spring Valley, 93 -- and mugginess added to the misery.· In the last two, war has added to the misery.· Many, it has emerged, will be uninsured or under-insured adding to the misery already suffered.· Since none of us had packed for cold, this simply added to our misery.
· Benefits for the many increasingly bring chances of misery for a few.· The economist who gives the prime minister bad advice can bring misery and unemployment to the average family.· Nothing would destroy her - least of all these totally inappropriate emotions for a man who had brought her nothing but misery.· Satan is interested in bringing misery ... suffering ... pain ... and guilt into our lives.
· It's a familiar scene that can cause workers untold misery and loss of self-confidence.· Morris further believed that forcing anyone to be active during the contemplative phase, or vice versa, causes utter misery.· The conduct struck at by the section may cause misery without being aimed at any particular victim.· From the socialist perspective, these disparities cause misery, deep alienation, and pervasive conflict in the society.· Its regime - which Prince Philip believed would turn his sons into real men - had caused Charles untold misery and damage.· Lack of money causes misery, anxiety, early death: the cramping of personality, the limiting of human potential.· As I got to know Russell I began to be angry at this woman who was still causing him misery.
· Read in studio A survey has revealed that pressure of work at Oxford university is making students lives a misery.
· Read in studio A survey has revealed that pressure of work at Oxford university is making students lives a misery.· But you have nothing to lose - your life was being made a misery anyway.· People living near the site say that during last years festival their lives were made a misery.· Next day they were off again, leaving the wounded and rejected to make life a misery for their womenfolk.· She will make my misery more tolerable, my slavery only half-slavery, my exile less a banishment.· In Dinny's code, if you beat some one in a fight you made their life misery for as long as possible.· She really was making his life a misery.· Please help little Jenny At last there's hope for the many hundreds of children whose lives are made a misery by birthmarks.
· Brian, put us out of our misery.· No wonder calls are growing for the show to be put out of its misery once and for all.· This became worse and worse and eventually he had to be put out of his misery.· He was killing himself with laughing, but dashed over to the security man and put Kenny out of his misery.· Listeners were finally put out of their misery just before midday when broadcasters finally admitted to the April Fool.· Oh, come on, Robyn, put me out of my misery.· Needing 219 on a poor pitch, Wasim put them out of their misery 15 overs ahead of schedule.· I'd have gone against Maria Luisa and broken my vow of silence to put you out of your misery.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► put something/somebody out of their miseryPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► plumb the depths (of despair/misery/bad taste etc)
1[countable, uncountable] great suffering that is caused for example by being very poor or very sick: - Circuit judge John Lee, 65, told a court that all men suffer because women enjoy making their lives a misery.
- In Dinny's code, if you beat some one in a fight you made their life misery for as long as possible.
- It makes my life a misery.
- My supervisor has made my life a misery.
- She really was making his life a misery.
- The roadworks are making their lives a misery.
- Why did they have to make his life a misery?
- A central reason cited for the cutback was the abject failure of highly touted sports movies.
- But for some, who didn't get the grades they hoped for, there's abject misery.
- For the first three years he endured abject misery.
- Its strategy was an abject failure on its own terms, for the Gaullists romped home in the June elections.
- The parasite has been nurtured by abject poverty, intermittent political chaos and, some charge, international indifference.
- The Sisters also try never to reject anyone in abject poverty, the hungry or starving.
- Wealth was much more frequent than abject poverty.
- What these hopefuls achieved for their pleasure and pain was a violent lifestyle of abject poverty.
What we are witnessing here is human misery on a vast scale. the misery of unemployment the miseries of war2[countable, uncountable] great unhappiness: She looked away so that Tom wouldn’t see her misery. His face was a picture of sheer misery (=great unhappiness, with no other emotion). The news plunged him into abject misery (=extreme unhappiness).3make somebody’s life a misery British English to cause so much trouble for someone that they cannot enjoy their life: Competitive mothers can make their daughters’ lives a misery.4put something/somebody out of their misery a)informal to make someone stop feeling worried, especially by telling them something they are waiting to hear: Go on, put them out of their misery and announce the winner. b)to kill a sick or injured animal in order to end its suffering SYN put down: I think you should put the poor creature out of its misery.5[countable] British English spoken someone who is always complaining and never enjoys anything: Don’t be such a misery. What’s the matter with you, misery guts (=a name for someone like this)?