From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmiserymis‧e‧ry /ˈmɪzəri/ ●●○ S3 noun (plural miseries) 1 [countable, uncountable]SUFFER great suffering that is caused for example by being very poor or very sick What we are witnessing here is human misery on a vast scale. the misery of unemployment the miseries of war2 [countable, uncountable]SAD/UNHAPPY 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).3 → make somebody’s life a misery4 → put something/somebody out of their misery5 [countable] British English spokenCOMPLAIN 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)?
Examples from the Corpus
misery• Don't invite her. She's such a misery!• The high interest rates caused misery for millions of people.• I was tagging along, comforting a man in misery until he started teaching.• The second half brought more misery.• Stop grumbling, you old misery.• Being paid was sheer misery for many.• He talked openly about the misery of his marriage.• The shattering plate might as well have struck him, for the pain and the misery on his face.• The flight from the countryside has compounded the misery of the urban poor, traditionally the bedrock of Sandinista support.• 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.• It started with a sore throat and became a week of total misery.• Some children spent their entire schooldays in unrelieved misery.• Morris further believed that forcing anyone to be active during the contemplative phase, or vice versa, causes utter misery.abject misery• For the first three years he endured abject misery.• But for some, who didn't get the grades they hoped for, there's abject misery.Origin misery (1300-1400) Old French miserie, from Latin miseria, from miser; → MISER 