French Conversation · Level 97
60 words
French word
misère
Pronunciation
IPA/mizɛʁ/
Meaning
- feminine nounpoverty
Example
Il vit dans la misère.
He lives in poverty.
More examples
La misère sociale touche de nombreuses personnes.
Social poverty affects many people.
Core concept
An existence worn down until lack becomes a state of hardship, whether material or emotional.
Common phrases
vivre dans la misère
live in poverty
tomber dans la misère
fall into poverty
la misère sociale
social poverty
Similar words
pauvreté: A lack of money or resources that prevents a normal standard of living.
galère: A difficult, troublesome situation that is hard to manage.
Definition in French
Désigne la pauvreté, au sens matériel ou figuré, impliquant une privation ou une condition misérable.
Word origin
French misère derives from Old French misere and ultimately Latin miseria, whose sense of distress underlies the modern noun.
Usage tips
- In c'est la misère, the noun often refers colloquially to an intolerable difficulty, not only to poverty.
Other meanings
- miserynoun
Opposites
- prospéritéprosperitynoun
- richessewealthnoun
Related words
- misérablemiserableadjective
- misérablementmiserablyadverb