suffer

The word “suffer” means to experience pain, hardship, or distress. In plain terms, to go through pain or something bad, or to get worse because of it.

“Suffer” is pronounced SUH-fuh (/ˈsʌfɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “suffer” used in a sentence: “Many soldiers suffered terribly during the harsh winter.”

Words with a similar meaning to “suffer” include ache, agonize, anguish, hurt, pain and thole.

The opposite of “suffer” — its antonyms — are be pleased, luxuriate and relax.

“Suffer” is a verb.

The word “suffer” comes from Latin. From Anglo-Norman suffrir, from Latin sufferre, "to bear, endure," from sub- ("under") plus ferre ("to carry").

“Suffer” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Both involve going through something painful, but the emphasis differs. Suffer focuses on experiencing the pain, hardship, or distress itself. Endure adds the idea of withstanding it patiently over time without giving up. You can suffer briefly, but to endure suggests lasting strength in the face of prolonged difficulty.

To 'suffer from' something means to be affected by an ongoing illness, condition, or problem, as in 'she suffers from migraines.' It describes something that regularly causes a person pain or difficulty. The phrase is especially common in medical contexts but also applies to broader troubles like stress or self-doubt.

In modern usage it is almost always negative, meaning to experience pain or distress. There is one older sense, found in phrases like 'suffer the little children,' where it simply means to allow or permit. That meaning is now archaic and mainly survives in historic or biblical language.

There is no single perfect opposite, but words like 'thrive,' 'flourish,' and 'prosper' express the reverse idea of doing well rather than experiencing hardship. In the sense of enjoying something, 'delight in' or 'relish' also contrast with suffering, which centres on pain and distress.