SUFFERING Synonyms: 263 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

suffering 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of suffering

as in mourning

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suffering

2 of 3

noun

as in distress

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

suffering

3 of 3

verb

present participle of suffer

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

as in grieving

to feel deep sadness or mental pain the husband suffered deeply at the mere suggestion that he had been unfaithful

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in permitting

to give permission for or to approve of contends that the death penalty is something that no civilized society should suffer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in letting

to fail to prevent (some behavior on someone's part) especially from neglect or indifference I will not suffer you to insult me so!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example 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

Among the recommendations in a report ordered by Newsom is limiting the amounts that victims can receive for pain and suffering and capping the fees of attorneys who represent them. — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 After initial attempts at therapy had no effect, the boy’s parents made the heartbreaking decision to remove his breathing tube to end his suffering. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026

Verb

Oladipo last played in the NBA in 2023 with the Heat, suffering a severe knee injury in the playoffs. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026 Growers still recovering are worried about suffering more damage, according to Hawaii Farm Bureau director Brian Miyamoto. — Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for suffering

Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffering

Adjective

Once the veteran players and most of the top seeds vanished from the Canadian Open, succumbing to injury and upset, the stakes of the tournament in Montreal took on a new edge.

— Ava Wallace, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Council member Chris Whatley said the entire council has been upset about the news of a data center, and vowed to do everything in his official capacity to protect Keller residents.

— Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of upset

Noun

Deed theft often exploits grief, financial distress, inheritance disputes and the limited resources of older homeowners.

— Landon Dais, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
The investors said they were alerted to the company’s financial distress by a September 2025 article published in The Cut.

— Sabrina Willmer, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of distress

Verb

When children are experiencing poor educational outcomes, at what point does opposition to an alternative become an obstacle to giving families another opportunity?

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
With France experiencing its driest year ever, a new fire raced through woodlands overnight in the Landes region on the southwest coast.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of experiencing

Verb

Days later, thousands of grieving students marched through Beijing, calling for a more democratic government in Hu’s honor.

— Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
Though he was never convicted of her killing, Duckett’s execution still brought some sense of closure to Weldon’s still-grieving family.

— Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of grieving

Verb

Additionally, CSquare is working with the village on permitting for four other temporary generators on site and needed to power critical workloads.

— Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
The Department of Transportation’s permitting backlog, which this spring reportedly had hundreds of businesses waiting for a green light, hasn’t helped.

— Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of permitting

Verb

But there's a risk in letting the college application checklist strategy become the blueprint for a teenager's entire high school experience.

— Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Twitch had a simple justification for letting its parent company, Amazon, use streamers’ content to train generative AI by default.

— Angela Yang, NBC news, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of letting

Adjective

Some Democratic board members noted that voters unhappy with Lukas’ performance can express their dissatisfaction in the 2028 election.

— Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
When the motorcycle crew was unhappy with the drugs, Hinman and Beausoleil got into a confrontation.

— Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of unhappy

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“Suffering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffering. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of suffering

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noun

verb

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