What is another word for suffering?

Synonyms for suffering
ˈsʌf ər ɪŋ, ˈsʌf rɪŋsuf·fer·ing

This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word suffering.

Wiktionary0.0 / 0 votes

  1. sufferingadjective

    Synonyms:
    pain, in

  2. sufferingadjective

    Experiencing pain.

    Synonyms:
    in, pain

English Synonyms and Antonyms5.0 / 2 votes

  1. suffering

    Pain is the most general term of this group, including all the others; pain is a disturbing sensation from which nature revolts, resulting from some injurious external interference (as from a wound, a bruise, a harsh word, etc.), or from some lack of what one needs, craves, or cherishes (as, the pain of hunger or bereavement), or from some abnormal action of bodily or mental functions (as, the pains of disease, envy, or discontent). Suffering is one of the severer forms of pain. The prick of a needle causes pain, but we should scarcely speak of it as suffering. Distress is too strong a word for little hurts, too feeble for the intensest suffering, but commonly applied to some continuous or prolonged trouble or need; as, the distress of a shipwrecked crew, or of a destitute family. Ache is lingering pain, more or less severe; pang, a pain short, sharp, intense, and perhaps repeated. We speak of the pangs of hunger or of remorse. Throe is a violent and thrilling pain. Paroxysm applies to an alternately recurring and receding pain, which comes as it were in waves; the paroxysm is the rising of the wave. Torment and torture are intense and terrible sufferings. Agony and anguish express the utmost pain or suffering of body or mind. Agony of body is that with which the system struggles; anguish that by which it is crushed.

    Synonyms:
    ache, agony, anguish, distress, pain, pang, paroxysm, throe, torment, torture, twinge, wo(e)

    Antonyms:
    comfort, delight, ease, enjoyment, peace, rapture, relief, solace

Princeton's WordNet5.0 / 1 vote

  1. agony, suffering, excruciationnoun

    a state of acute pain

    Synonyms:
    hurt, distress, woe, excruciation, torture, crucifixion, agony, torment

    Antonyms:
    happy, untroubled

  2. suffering, woenoun

    misery resulting from affliction

    Synonyms:
    agony, woe, distress, hurt, woefulness, excruciation

    Antonyms:
    happy, untroubled

  3. distress, hurt, sufferingnoun

    psychological suffering

    "the death of his wife caused him great distress"

    Synonyms:
    hurt, injury, distress, detriment, harm, excruciation, damage, distraint, trauma, agony, scathe, woe

    Antonyms:
    untroubled, happy

  4. suffering, hurtadjective

    feelings of mental or physical pain

    Synonyms:
    hurt, injury, distress, detriment, harm, excruciation, damage, agony, trauma, woe, scathe

    Antonyms:
    untroubled, happy

  5. sufferingadjective

    troubled by pain or loss

    "suffering refugees"

    Synonyms:
    wretched, miserable

    Antonyms:
    untroubled, happy

  6. miserable, suffering, wretchedadjective

    very unhappy; full of misery

    "he felt depressed and miserable"; "a message of hope for suffering humanity"; "wretched prisoners huddled in stinking cages"

    Synonyms:
    low-down, pitiable, pathetic, piteous, abject, vile, misfortunate, poor, pitiful, hapless, slimy, miserable, unworthy, deplorable, scurvy, scummy, worthless, ugly, woeful, measly, wretched, paltry, execrable, despicable, low

    Antonyms:
    untroubled, happy

Matched Categories

Dictionary of English Synonymes5.0 / 1 vote

  1. sufferingnoun

    Synonyms:
    endurance, pain, distress, misery, sufferance, passion

  2. sufferingnoun

    Synonyms:
    poverty, want

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words0.0 / 0 votes

  1. sufferingnoun

    Synonyms:
    distress, agony, misery, pain, discomfort, torture, sufferance

How to pronounce suffering?

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Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Words popularity by usage frequency

rankingword
#6in
#402low
#1711poor
#1938pain
#2266damage
#2620injury
#5093hurt
#5338torture
#5907suffering
#6159harm
#6848suffer
#7689ugly
#9538trauma
#9633experiencing
#10700grief
#12669distress
#15487misery
#17102miserable
#18127pathetic
#18786hardship
#20439agony
#20769worthless
#22266plight
#25311ache
#25704woe
#27379vile
#27991anguish
#29210torment
#30803detriment
#30945wretched
#31968hardships
#33386pang
#35460sufferings
#37567crucifixion
#38945unworthy
#40996pitiful
#43288hapless
#47706despicable
#48820slimy
#51865abject
#55032deplorable
#57224paltry
#68555measly
#69348scurvy
#77165woeful
#92197piteous
#104149twinge
#115306scummy
#119822pitiable
#143060execrable
#156236paroxysm
#254604distraint

How to use suffering in a sentence?

  1. Katherine Swidan:

    He’s suffering and he’s got an infection. He has severe periodontal disease. He has holes in his mouth that bleed constantly. He’s lost 130 pounds.

  2. Kelsey Crowe:

    I wanted the tone of this book to be super friendly and relatable and even light so People You aren't turned off by it because it's such a heavy topic, encountering Emily's work, it seemed like such a good pairing of mindsets about how to make People You feel comfortable with the awkwardness of this situation, which is being there in times of suffering.

  3. Larry Krasner:

    They don’t believe that. They know better than that, this is pure hypocrisy. This is taking advantage of people’s pain, their suffering, their tragedy, their agony … this is taking advantage of that for the worst kind of cheap politics.

  4. Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky:

    Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on Earth.

  5. Ethan Williams:

    To hear one candidate say to another, ‘I’m not sure why that’s so important to you’ in regards to crime surges in New York is tone-deaf to the suffering of families like mine, tone-deaf toward women, such as the jogger raped in Manhattan just last week. And tone-deaf towards surges of violence against Asian Americans.


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"suffering." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 16 Feb. 2025. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/suffering>.

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