misery /mizˈə-ri/ misery miseries/mizˈə-ri/ Etymology: [OFr, from L miseria] noun wretchednessextreme painmiserable conditionsmisère (cards)avarice (Shakespeare)a very unhappy experiencea doleful person (informal)Etymology: [OFr, from L miseria] Compounds: misery index misery index misery indicesnoun an estimate of the economic difficulty being experienced by a particular country, etc, usu calculated from the current rates of inflation and unemploymentW misery memoirmisery memoirnoun the autobiography of a person who has known pain and suffering and wants the reader to endure a similar experiencePhrases: put someone out of his or her misery put someone out of his or her misery to release someone from mental or physical suffering