suffering 1 of 3

suffering

2 of 3

noun

suffering

3 of 3

verb

present participle of suffer
1
as in experiencing
to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it willingly suffered hardships so that their children would have a better life

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun suffering differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of suffering are agony, distress, and misery. While all these words mean "the state of being in great trouble," suffering implies conscious endurance of pain or distress.

the suffering of famine victims

When can agony be used instead of suffering?

While in some cases nearly identical to suffering, agony suggests pain too intense to be borne.

in agony over the death of their child

When might distress be a better fit than suffering?

While the synonyms distress and suffering are close in meaning, distress implies an external and usually temporary cause of great physical or mental strain and stress.

the hurricane put everyone in great distress

When could misery be used to replace suffering?

The synonyms misery and suffering are sometimes interchangeable, but misery stresses the unhappiness attending especially sickness, poverty, or loss.

the homeless live with misery every day

Examples 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 suffering
Noun
Most Americans care about animals, and would like their country to be among the leading nations in protecting animals from unnecessary suffering. Peter Singer, TIME, 26 Oct. 2024 This suffering has a Christlike quality—and Navalny knows it. Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2024
Verb
For his part, Rodgers has returned fully healthy in 2024 after suffering an Achilles injury mere plays into his debut with the Jets last season. Vincent Frank, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 Restaurant and bar owners have pushed for decades to loosen California’s last-call mandate, arguing that just a few more hours would help their bottom line, and keep downtowns vibrant, at a time when the restaurant industry is suffering. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for suffering 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffering
Noun
  • While climate denial allows people to protect themselves from feelings of distress, terror management theory suggests that denying death is just the tip of the iceberg.
    Discover Magazine, Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024
  • Twigs’s success over the years has been used as a tactic by LaBeouf’s legal team to undermine her accusation of emotional distress.
    Arimeta Diop, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • One can only hope that Harris and Cheney’s alliance will send a message of civility—and unity—to a tense and grieving nation in the remaining weeks before November 5.
    Emma Specter, Vogue, 4 Oct. 2024
  • At the same time, more radical protest groups are publicly grieving Israel’s recent killing of the longtime leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.
    Simone Weichselbaum, NBC News, 2 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • Thanks for letting Red and Kitty, their grandkid, all their grandkids friends and neighbors, the original cast members of That 70’s Show and all of our wonderful guest cast members entertain you for two seasons.
    Jordan Moreau, Variety, 4 Oct. 2024
  • As Salesforce has arguably the largest low-code/no-code developer community, letting its users see and touch agents was the culmination of years of investment in these users.
    Jason Andersen, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • The post-election dynamic is reminiscent of a famous gathering of tech titans at Trump Tower in December 2016, a month after Trump’s first upset win in a presidential race, when some of the same executives braced themselves for unpredictable policy shifts.
    David Ingram, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024
  • One major upset came when longtime House Speaker Scott Saiki lost to progressive Kim Coco Iwamoto, potentially signaling an ideological shift in Hawaii’s Democratic Party.
    Jeremy Yurow, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Johnny Rockets Drown any potential sorrows in a free milkshake with an in-store purchase.
    Chris Morris, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Many of those recollections contain notes of sorrow.
    Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • The remote Antarctic Peninsula is undergoing a dramatic transformation due to warming.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2024
  • The exception has been in Hollywood and the media, where major media companies have been undergoing multiple rounds of layoffs.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • The soles feature high-density memory foam to keep aching feet comfortable while walking the dog or checking the mail.
    Nora Colomer, Fox News, 19 Oct. 2024
  • In my suite, the bathroom’s heated marble floor soothed my aching feet.
    Alexandra Kleeman, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • For website optimization, focus on SEO best practices such as using relevant keywords in titles and content, having clear meta descriptions and ensuring fast load times.
    Sam Nelson, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
  • While some solutions already exist, having possible autonomous correction to compensate for wind speed, directions, and other factors would be possible.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near suffering

Cite this Entry

“Suffering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffering. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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