misery

noun

UK/ˈmɪz.ᵊr.i/
US/ˈmɪz.ɚ.i/

Definitions of misery noun

emotion

  1. B2CountableUncountable

    A state of great unhappiness or suffering.

    • The war brought untold misery to the local population.

    • He felt a deep sense of misery after losing his job.

    • She described the misery of living in poverty.

person

  1. Singularinformal

    A person who is frequently unhappy and tends to complain.

    • Don't be such a misery; try to enjoy life.

    • She's such a misery, always complaining about everything.

    • He's such a misery for complaining about every little thing.

Idioms

  • put something out of its misery

    to euthanize an animal that is suffering greatly from illness or injury to end its pain.

    The vet decided to put the horse out of its misery after it severely injured its leg.

  • misery loves company

    Unhappy people often seek solace by sharing their troubles with others.

    She was feeling down about being unemployed, so she started calling other unemployed friends frequently; misery loves company.

  • put someone out of their misery

    To alleviate someone's worry or anxiety, typically by providing them with information they have been waiting for.

    Realizing it was causing confusion, she decided to tell him the truth directly to put him out of his misery.