/ ˈmɪzəri; NAmE / noun ( pl. -ies )
1.
[ U ] great suffering of the mind or body
SYN distress :
Fame brought her nothing but misery.
2.
[ U ] very poor living conditions
SYN poverty :
The vast majority of the population lives in utter misery.
3.
[ C ] something that causes great suffering of mind or body :
the miseries of unemployment
4.
[ C ] ( BrE , informal ) a person who is always unhappy and complaining :
Don't be such an old misery!
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IDIOMS
- make sb's life a misery
- put an animal, a bird, etc. out of its misery
- put sb out of their misery
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French miserie , from Latin miseria , from miser wretched.