miseria
misery
noun mee-SEH-ryah Less Common
Origin: From Latin miseria (wretchedness).
Also means
poverty
Usage Note
Miseria can denote deep poverty (vivir en la miseria) or general wretchedness and misery (la miseria de la guerra). In colloquial speech it also means a pathetically small amount of money: me pagaron una miseria (they paid me a pittance). The adjective miserable and the person noun miserable (a wretch) are related.
Examples
"Muchas familias vivían en la miseria."
Natural Translation
Many families were living in misery.
Related Words
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