suffer
English · Thesaurus
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suffer
- /ˈsʌfə/ UK
- /ˈsʌfɚ/ US
Rhymes with -ʌfə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English suffren, from Anglo-Norman suffrir, from Latin sufferre (“to offer, hold up, bear, suffer”), from sub- (“up, under”) + ferō (“to carry”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”). Displaced native Old English þrōwian.
verb suffers · suffering · suffered · suffer
- To undergo hardship. Many artists suffer before becoming famous.
- To feel pain. At least he didn't suffer when he died in the car crash.
-
To become worse.
If you keep partying like this, your school-work will suffer.
Similar: deteriorate, worsen, atrophy, break down, crack, decline, degenerate, devolve, confound, fade, fall off, go bad
-
To endure, undergo.
I've been suffering your insults for years.
Similar: bear, dree, thole, abear, abide, aby, accept, allow, bide, brook, endure, forbear
-
To allow.
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to liue.
Similar: permit
Similar: ache, agonize, anguish, hurt, pain, passion, suffer, thole, throe, wark, wring · Opposite: be pleased, luxuriate, relax
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: ache, hurt, put up, endure, brook, abide, stand, meet, sustain, tolerate, get, have, stomach, bear, afflict, inflict
Translations
Every language
verb undergo hardship
| Español | sufrir, penar, padecer |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 괴로와하다 goerowahada, 시달리다 sidallida, 고통받다 gotongbatda, 겪다 gyeokda |
| 日本語 | 被る kōmuru |
| 中文 | 受苦 shòukǔ, 遭受 zāoshòu, 吃苦 chīkǔ |
| Kiswahili | teseka |
| Português | sofrer |
| Français | souffrir |
| Deutsch | leiden |
| Italiano | soffrire, penare, patire |
| Ελληνικά | υποφέρω ypoféro, βασανίζομαι vasanízomai, δεινοπαθώ deinopathó, πάσχω páscho |
| Română | suferi |
| Русский | страда́ть stradátʹ, му́чаться múčatʹsja |
| Tiếng Việt | chịu đựng |
| العربية | تَأَلَّمَ taʔallama, عَانَى ʕānā |
| עברית | סבל saval |
verb feel pain
| Español | sufrir, padecer, adolecer |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 苦しむ kurushimu |
| Kiswahili | teseka |
| Português | sofrer |
| Français | souffrir |
| Deutsch | leiden |
| Italiano | soffrire |
| Ελληνικά | υποφέρω ypoféro, πάσχω páscho |
| Română | suferi |
| Русский | страда́ть stradátʹ, му́чаться múčatʹsja |
| Tiếng Việt | cảm thấy đau |
verb become worse
| Español | empeorar, sufrir |
|---|---|
| Português | piorar |
| Français | souffrir de, pâtir de |
| Italiano | aggravarsi |
| Ελληνικά | υποφέρω ypoféro |
| Русский | страда́ть stradátʹ, пострада́ть postradátʹ |
verb to endure, undergo
| Español | sufrir, padecer, atenerse a |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 我慢する gaman suru |
| 中文 | 忍受 rěnshòu |
| Kiswahili | teseka |
| Português | sofrer |
| Français | endurer, souffrir, supporter, subir |
| Deutsch | erleiden |
| Italiano | subire |
| Ελληνικά | υπομένω ypoméno, εγκαρτερώ egkarteró |
| Русский | выде́рживать vydérživatʹ, вы́держать výderžatʹ, выноси́ть vynosítʹ, вы́нести výnesti, терпе́ть terpétʹ, потерпе́ть poterpétʹ |
| العربية | عَانَى ʕānā |
Talk about this word "suffer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/suffer. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. suffer. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/suffer "suffer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/suffer.Cite this
@misc{suffer_2026,
title = {suffer},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/suffer},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
