What does suffering mean?
“Suffering” names the painful experience of physical pain, emotional distress, hardship, or adversity. It can refer to an individual person, as in someone who is suffering from illness or grief, or to a shared condition affecting a community, such as the suffering caused by war or disaster. In general use, the word carries a serious and often compassionate tone: describing suffering acknowledges pain without necessarily explaining its cause or demanding a response. The related verb “suffer” is used in both physical and figurative contexts, meaning to experience pain or to endure something difficult. “Suffering” also functions as the present participle of that verb. Together, the noun and verb express the basic human condition of enduring distress, while the word’s history links it to the broader Latin family of words concerning bearing, carrying, and enduring.
Pain, distress, or hardship experienced by a person or group.
"The organization works to relieve suffering caused by natural disasters."
Usually uncountable in general references to painful experience; “sufferings” can refer to particular hardships.
Present participle of “suffer,” meaning to experience pain or hardship, or to endure something unpleasant.
"Many residents are suffering from the effects of the prolonged drought."
Commonly used with “from” to identify the source of the suffering, especially in medical contexts.
The plural is less common and usually refers to distinct painful experiences or hardships.
"The testimony described the sufferings endured by the refugees."
The word behind “suffering” is also behind “sufficient” and “efficient”: all share the Latin idea of bearing or carrying.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does suffering come from?
The modern word comes through Old French souffrir, from Latin sufferre, “to bear” or “to endure.” The Latin verb combined the prefix sub-, meaning “under,” with ferre, “to bear.” The same root appears in cognates such as “sufficient,” “suffice,” and “efficient,” although these developed along different semantic paths.
Related word forms
How suffering is actually used
As a noun, “suffering” is usually uncountable when referring to pain or hardship in general; “sufferings” is used for particular instances or a range of painful experiences. As a verb, it is the present participle of “suffer” and is often followed by “from.”
Easily confused with suffering
Suffering refers to experiencing pain or hardship, whereas sacrifice refers to giving up something valuable for a purpose or at some cost.