Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
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suffering

noun · adjective US /ˈsʌfərɪŋ/

a state of acute pain

How often you will meet it

Rank 1,383 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 13,273 times across 175,160 chapters — 0.006% of every word in the library.

What it means

noun

  1. a state of acute pain also: agony, excruciation
  2. misery resulting from affliction also: woe
  3. psychological suffering also: distress, hurt the death of his wife caused him great distress
  4. feelings of mental or physical pain also: hurt

adjective

  1. troubled by pain or loss suffering refugees
  2. very unhappy; full of misery also: miserable, wretched he felt depressed and miserablea message of hope for suffering humanity

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

suffering in real books

Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.

  • The complaint your father is suffering from is one I know well.

    The Emperor — Volume 02 · Georg Ebers · Chapter 1

  • IV On ocean where the embattled fleets repair, Man, suffering inflictor, sails on sufferance there.

    John Marr and Other Poems · Herman Melville · Chapter 1

  • Bini Aru had used this secret many times, but not to cause evil or suffering to others.

    The Magic of Oz · L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum · Chapter 1

  • The life of the Favorals during these interminable days of anguish and suffering, was that of a hundred thousand other families.

    Other People's Money · Emile Gaboriau · Chapter 1

  • Without protection, save that which innocence gives to every good woman, they went about their work, fearing no assault and suffering none.

    The Red Record Tabulated Statistics · Ida B. Wells-Barnett · Chapter 1

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