Misery
Misery noun - A situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness.
Usage example: the flood brought misery to the many hundreds whom it had made homeless
Pleasure
Pleasure noun - The feeling experienced when one's wishes are met.
Usage example: nothing gives me more pleasure than a hot meal after a long day
How words are described
Both words in one sentence
- It's even pointed out that bullies tend to make bad instructors, since people who dole out misery for their own pleasure might get bored of it and start goofing off.
Source: Punch Clock Villain / Literature -
The genie is Wizard Howl under a spell, is very pissed off at being confined to the bottle, and takes malicious pleasure in granting each wish to the letter in a way that causes as much misery as possible.
Source: Genie in a Bottle -
And they, so perfect is their misery, Not once perceive their foul disfigurement, But boast themselves more comely than before, And all their friends and native home forget, To roll with pleasure in a sensual sty.
Source: Baleful Polymorph
Cite this Source
Pleasure and Misery. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/misery/pleasure
Misery & Pleasure. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/misery/pleasure>.
Pleasure or Misery. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/misery/pleasure.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "misery" and "pleasure" have occurred on timeline