Misery

Misery

Noun · /ˈmɪz.ər.i/

Definition

A state of great suffering or unhappiness, especially from poverty, illness, or deprivation; something that causes great unhappiness or discomfort; in British colloquial English, a person who is habitually gloomy, joyless, or complaining.

Origin

From Old French miserie, from Latin miseria (wretchedness, distress, misfortune), from miser (wretched, unhappy). The Latin miser root gives miser (the person), miserable (the adjective), and commiserate (to share in sorrow). Misery in the sense of great suffering has been in English since the 13th century. The phrase put someone out of their misery — to end their suffering — is used both literally (euthanasia of an animal) and figuratively (to end uncertainty or suspense). The film Misery (1990, from Stephen King's 1987 novel) has given the word an additional cultural association.