suffering

[suhf-er-ing, suhf-ring] /ˈsʌf ər ɪŋ, ˈsʌf rɪŋ/
noun
1.
the state of a person or thing that suffers.
2.
Often, sufferings. something suffered by a person or a group of people; pain:
the sufferings of the slaves.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English; see suffer, -ing1
Related forms
sufferingly, adverb
unsuffering, adjective
Synonyms
1. agony, torment, torture; pain, distress.

suffer

[suhf-er] /ˈsʌf ər/
verb (used without object)
1.
to undergo or feel pain or distress:
The patient is still suffering.
2.
to sustain injury, disadvantage, or loss:
One's health suffers from overwork. The business suffers from lack of capital.
3.
to undergo a penalty, as of death:
The traitor was made to suffer on the gallows.
4.
to endure pain, disability, death, etc., patiently or willingly.
verb (used with object)
5.
to undergo, be subjected to, or endure (pain, distress, injury, loss, or anything unpleasant):
to suffer the pangs of conscience.
6.
to undergo or experience (any action, process, or condition):
to suffer change.
7.
to tolerate or allow:
I do not suffer fools gladly.
Origin
1200-50; Middle English suff(e)ren < Latin sufferre, equivalent to suf- suf- + ferre to bear1; compare Old French sofrir < Vulgar Latin *sufferīre
Related forms
sufferable, adjective
sufferableness, noun
sufferably, adverb
sufferer, noun
nonsufferable, adjective
nonsufferableness, noun
nonsufferably, adverb
outsuffer, verb (used with object)
presuffer, verb
unsufferable, adjective
unsufferableness, noun
unsufferably, adverb
Synonyms
5. sustain. 7. stomach, stand, abide.
Examples from the web for suffering
  • In addition, there is no legal threshold for how much pain and suffering an animal can be exposed to in experiments.
  • For amputees suffering from phantom pain, a computer-generated cure might soon be at hand.
  • In some religions, devotion is measured by physical suffering and self-inflicted pain.
  • Dolphins are extremely intelligent creatures that experience pain and suffering, she emphasizes.
  • Media companies are suffering intense pain-and it is starting to seem worryingly permanent.
  • Students may be enjoying high self-esteem, but college teachers seem to be suffering from a lack of self-confidence.
  • These are people who won't be suffering in a major way financially from the cuts and who are near retirement.
  • Human interaction with mosquitoes must take into account the tremendous human suffering that these disease vectors cause.
  • Best wishes to everyone suffering unhappy influences.
  • Thus they were suffering severe immediate losses and many were faced with bankruptcy.
British Dictionary definitions for suffering

suffering

/ˈsʌfərɪŋ; ˈsʌfrɪŋ/
noun
1.
the pain, misery, or loss experienced by a person who suffers
2.
the state or an instance of enduring pain, etc
Derived Forms
sufferingly, adverb

suffer

/ˈsʌfə/
verb
1.
to undergo or be subjected to (pain, punishment, etc)
2.
(transitive) to undergo or experience (anything): to suffer a change of management
3.
(intransitive) to be set at a disadvantage: this author suffers in translation
4.
to be prepared to endure (pain, death, etc): he suffers for the cause of freedom
5.
(transitive) (archaic) to permit (someone to do something): suffer the little children to come unto me
6.
suffer from
  1. to be ill with, esp recurrently
  2. to be given to: he suffers from a tendency to exaggerate
Derived Forms
sufferer, noun
Usage note
It is better to avoid using the words suffer and sufferer in relation to chronic illness or disability. They may be considered demeaning and disempowering. Suitable alternative are have, experience, be diagnosed with
Word Origin
C13: from Old French soffrir, from Latin sufferre, from sub- + ferre to bear
Word Origin and History for suffering
n.

"patient enduring of hardship," mid-14c.; "undergoing of punishment, affliction, etc.," late 14c., verbal noun from suffer (v.).

suffer

v.

early 13c., "to be made to undergo, endure" (pain, death, punishment, judgment, grief), from Anglo-French suffrir, Old French sufrir, from Vulgar Latin *sufferire, variant of Latin sufferre "to bear, undergo, endure, carry or put under," from sub "up, under" (see sub-) + ferre "to carry" (see infer).

Replaced Old English þolian, þrowian. Meaning "to meekly submit to hardship" is from late 13c. That of "to undergo" (distress, suffering, etc.) is mid-14c. Meaning "to tolerate, allow" something to occur or continue is recorded from mid-13c. Related: Suffered; suffering.

Idioms and Phrases with suffering

suffer

see: not suffer fools gladly