suffer

English

Etymology

FromMiddle Englishsuffren,fromAnglo-Normansuffrir,fromLatinsufferre(“to offer, hold up, bear, suffer”),fromsub-(“up, under”)+ferō(“I carry”),fromProto-Indo-European*bʰer-(“to bear, carry”).Displaced nativeOld Englishþrōwian.

Pronunciation

• (UK)enPR:sŭfʹər,IPA^(key):/ˈsʌfə/
• (US)enPR:sŭfʹər,IPA^(key):/ˈsʌfɚ/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-ʌfə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation:suf‧fer

Verb

suffer(third-person singular simple presentsuffers,present participlesuffering,simple past and past participlesuffered)

1. (intransitive)Toundergohardship.

   Synonym:bear

   Many artistssufferbefore becoming famous.

2. (intransitive)Tofeelpain.

   Synonyms:agonize,anguish,thole;see alsoThesaurus:suffer

   At least he didn'tsufferwhen he died in the car crash.

3. (intransitive)To becomeworse.

   Synonyms:deteriorate,worsen;see alsoThesaurus:worsen

   If you keep partying like this, your school-work willsuffer.

   • 1961October, “Motive Power Miscellany: Scottish Region”, inTrains Illustrated,page638:

     Our correspondent found that timekeeping hadsufferedfollowing the substitution of Class 54-6-0son these workings.

4. (transitive)Toendure,undergo.

   Synonyms:bear,dree,thole;see alsoThesaurus:tolerate

   I've beensufferingyour insults for years.

   We hope you never have tosufferthe same pain.

   • c.1610–1611(date written),William Shakespeare,“The Winters Tale”,inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…](First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard,andEd[ward]Blount,published1623,→OCLC,[Act IV, scene iv]:

     If you may pleaſe to thinke I loue the King, / And through him, what’s neereſt to him, which is / Your gracious ſelfe; embrace but my direction, / If your more ponderous and ſetled proiect mayſufferalteration.

   • 2013July 6, “The rise of smart beta”,inThe Economist,volume408,number8843,page68:

     Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities havesufferedtwo big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.

5. (transitive,archaic,law)Toallow.

   Synonym:permit

   • 1611,The Holy Bible,[…](King James Version), London:[…]Robert Barker,[…],→OCLC,Exodus22:18:

     Thou shalt notsuffera witch to liue.

   • 1611,The Holy Bible,[…](King James Version), London:[…]Robert Barker,[…],→OCLC,Matthew19:14:

     But Iesus said,Sufferlittle children, and forbid them not to come vnto me: for of such is þe kingdome of heauen.

   • 1938,The U.S.Fair Labor Standards Act,29 U.S.C. § 203:

     "Employ" includes tosufferor permit to work.

   • 1978,Section 31-36 of the Code of Montgomery County, Maryland:

     […]it shall be unlawful for any person to cause, allow, permit orsufferany vehicle to be parked[…]beyond the period of time established by the duration of the parking meter[…]

Usage notes

Many people advise against using this word in the context of disabilities. Instead of saying that someonesuffersfromblindnessor some other disability, it is better to use more neutral wording, such as saying that the personhasthe disability.

Conjugation

Conjugation ofsuffer

infinitive	(to)suffer
	present tense	past tense
1st-personsingular	suffer	suffered
2nd-personsingular	suffer,sufferest†	suffered,sufferedst†
3rd-personsingular	suffers,suffereth†	suffered
plural	suffer
subjunctive	suffer	suffered
imperative	suffer	—
participles	suffering	suffered

^†Archaicorobsolete.

Derived terms

• insufferable
• sufferable
• sufferance
• suffer by comparison
• sufferer
• suffer fools gladly,gladly suffer fools
• suffer from
• suffering
• suffer in silence
• the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must
• unsufferable

Related terms

• sublate
• sublation

Descendants

• English Creole:
  • Jamaican Creole:sofa

Translations

undergo hardship

• Albanian:

  Arbëresh:psonj

• Arabic:تَأَلَّمَ(taʔallama),عَانَى(ʕānā)

  Hijazi Arabic:عانى(ʕāna),شِقِي(šigi)

• Azerbaijani:əziyyət çəkmək,əzab çəkmək
• Belarusian:пакутава́цьimpf(pakutavácʹ),му́чыццаimpf(múčycca)
• Bulgarian:стра́дам(bg)(strádam),мъ́ча са(mǎ́ča sa)
• Catalan:sofrir(ca),patir(ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Chịu khổ(zh)(shòukǔ),Gặp(zh)(zāoshòu),Chịu khổ(zh)(chīkǔ)

• Chuvash:тарӑх(tarăh)
• Czech:trpět(cs)
• Danish:lide(da)
• Dutch:lijden(nl)
• Esperanto:suferi(eo)
• Finnish:kärsiä(fi)
• French:souffrir(fr)
• Friulian:sufrî,patî
• Galician:sufrir(gl)
• German:leiden(de)
• Gothic:𐌸𐌿𐌻𐌰𐌽(þulan)
• Greek:υποφέρω(el)(ypoféro),βασανίζομαι(el)(vasanízomai),δεινοπαθώ(el)(deinopathó)

  Ancient:πάσχω(páskhō),νοσέω(noséō)

• Haitian Creole:soufri
• Hebrew:סבל(he)(saval)
• Hungarian:szenved(hu)
• Ido:please add this translation if you can
• Ingrian:kärsiä,mookkahua
• Italian:soffrire(it),penare(it),patire(it)
• Japanese:Bị る(ja)(こうむる, kōmuru)
• Korean:괴로와하다(goerowahada),시달리다(ko)(sidallida),고통받다(gotongbatda),겪다(ko)(gyeokda)
• Latgalian:cīst,stiļt
• Latin:patior(la)
• Latvian:ciest
• Lithuanian:kęsti(lt)
• Lombard:patì(lmo)
• Malayalam:കഷ്ടപ്പെടുക(ml)(kaṣṭappeṭuka)
• Maori:ngahi(refers to a punishment),whakataimaha,whakataumaha,makuhea(from starvation)
• Norwegian:lide(no)
• Occitan:sofrir(oc),patir(oc)
• Old English:þrōwian,drēogan,þolian
• Old French:susfrir
• Piedmontese:patì
• Polish:cierpieć(pl)impf,pokutować(pl)impf
• Portuguese:sofrer(pt)
• Quechua:llakiy,muchuy,ñak'ay
• Romanian:suferi(ro)
• Romansch:patir,pitir,piteir
• Russian:страда́ть(ru)impf(stradátʹ),му́чаться(ru)impf(múčatʹsja)
• Sardinian:patire,patiri,sufrire,sufriri,sunfrire,sunfriri
• Scottish Gaelic:fulaing
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic:патитиimpf

  Roman:patiti(sh)

• Sicilian:patiri(scn),suffriri
• Slovak:trpieťimpf
• Slovene:trpeti(sl)
• Spanish:sufrir(es),penar(es),padecer(es),lazrar
• Swahili:teseka(sw)
• Swedish:lida(sv)
• Thai:ตรำ(dtram)
• Turkish:elemçekecek,elemçekmek
• Ukrainian:стражда́ти(uk)impf(straždáty),му́читисяimpf(múčytysja),терпі́тиimpf(terpíty)
• Venetan:patir
• Vietnamese:chịu đựng(vi)

feel pain

• Bulgarian:боли ме(boli me)
• Catalan:sofrir(ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:please add this translation if you can

• Czech:trpět(cs)
• Danish:lide(da)
• Dutch:lijden(nl)
• Esperanto:suferi(eo),doloriĝi
• Finnish:kärsiä(fi),kitua(fi)
• French:souffrir(fr)
• Galician:sufrir(gl)
• German:leiden(de)
• Gothic:𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽(winnan),𐌲𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽(gawinnan)
• Greek:υποφέρω(el)(ypoféro)

  Ancient:ἀλγέω(algéō),νοσέω(noséō)

• Greenlandic:anniarpoq
• Hungarian:szenved(hu)
• Ingrian:kärsiä
• Italian:soffrire(it)
• Japanese:Khổ しむ(ja)(くるしむ, kurushimu)
• Latin:doleō(la)
• Malayalam:വേദനിക്കുക(ml)(vēdanikkuka)
• Maori:kōharihari,pākinikini,hīwiniwini(from aches),pākikini
• Norwegian:lide(no)
• Occitan:sofrir(oc)
• Old English:þrōwian
• Old French:susfrir
• Polish:cierpieć(pl)
• Portuguese:sofrer(pt)
• Quechua:llakiy
• Romanian:suferi(ro)
• Russian:страда́ть(ru)impf(stradátʹ),му́чаться(ru)impf(múčatʹsja)
• Sanskrit:वहति(sa)(vahati)
• Spanish:sufrir(es),padecer(es)
• Swahili:teseka(sw)
• Swedish:lida(sv)
• Ukrainian:стражда́ти(uk)impf(straždáty),му́читисяimpf(múčytysja)
• Vietnamese:cảm thấy đau
• Welsh:dioddef(cy)

become worse

• Catalan:empitjorar(ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:please add this translation if you can

• Esperanto:plimalboniĝi
• Finnish:kärsiä(fi)
• French:souffrir(fr)de,pâtir(fr)de
• Galician:empeorar(gl)
• Greek:υποφέρω(el)(ypoféro)
• Hungarian:megsínyli(hu),kárát látja
• Italian:aggravarsi(it)
• Latin:aggravor
• Norwegian:forverre
• Portuguese:piorar(pt)
• Russian:страда́ть(ru)impf(stradátʹ),пострада́ть(ru)pf(postradátʹ)
• Spanish:empeorar(es),sufrir(es)
• Turkish:beterolmak
• Welsh:dioddef(cy)

to endure, undergo—see alsoendure

• Arabic:عَانَى(ʕānā)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Chịu đựng(zh)(rěnshòu)

• Czech:trpět(cs)
• Esperanto:toleri(eo)
• Finnish:kestää(fi),kärsiä(fi)
• French:endurer(fr),souffrir(fr),supporter(fr),subir(fr)
• Galician:sufrir(gl)
• German:erleiden(de)
• Greek:υπομένω(el)(ypoméno),εγκαρτερώ(el)(egkarteró)

  Ancient:πάσχω(páskhō)

• Higaonon:antos
• Hungarian:tűr(hu),eltűr(hu),visel(hu),elvisel(hu)
• Irish:cuir suas le
• Italian:subire(it)
• Japanese:Ta chậm する(ja)(がまんする, gaman suru)
• Latin:patior(la)
• Malayalam:സഹിക്കുക(ml)(sahikkuka)
• Norwegian:lide(no)
• Old English:þrōwian,āberan
• Portuguese:sofrer(pt)
• Russian:выде́рживать(ru)impf(vydérživatʹ),вы́держать(ru)pf(výderžatʹ),выноси́ть(ru)impf(vynosítʹ),вы́нести(ru)pf(výnesti),терпе́ть(ru)impf(terpétʹ),потерпе́ть(ru)pf(poterpétʹ)
• Spanish:sufrir(es),padecer(es)
• Swahili:teseka(sw)

(archaic in English)to allow—see alsoallow

• Chinese:

  Mandarin:please add this translation if you can

• Esperanto:permesi,lasi(eo)
• Finnish:sietää(fi),hyväksyä(fi)
• French:souffrir(fr)
• Galician:deixar(gl),permitir(gl)
• Greek:επιτρέπω(el)(epitrépo)
• Hungarian:enged(hu)
• Italian:lasciare(it)
• Portuguese:deixar(pt),permitir(pt)
• Russian:дозволя́ть(ru)impf(dozvoljátʹ)
• Swedish:tillåta(sv),låta(sv)
• Ukrainian:дозволяти(dozvoljaty)

Anagrams

• suffre,ruffes,Rueffs

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes:-ʏfər

Etymology 1

Adjective

suffer

1. comparative degreeofsuf

Etymology 2

Noun

sufferm(pluralsuffers)

1. Alternative form ofsufferd

Latin

Verb

suffer

1. second-personsingularpresentactiveimperativeofsufferō