misère
French, noun/mi.zɛʁ/
misère is spelled M-I-S-È-R-E (6 letters) and appears 17 times per million words in written French, the 4,323rd most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Misère is a French feminine noun meaning “misery” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Condition, état de celui qui inspire la pitié”.
What does misère mean in English?
noun
- 1
femininemisery
- 2
femininepoverty
Il a vécu pendant longtemps dans la misère.
- 3
feminineA trifle, a thing of little value and importance.
interjection
- 1
dear me! dear Lord! oh boy! heavens! woe is me!
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Condition, état de celui qui inspire la pitié. 2. État de faiblesse et de néantise de l’homme. 3. Privation des choses nécessaires à la vie. 4. Au XVIIIᵉ siècle, chanson anonyme décrivant les épreuves et malheurs de certaines professions.
interjection: 1. S’emploie pour marquer la consternation, le désespoir ou l’exaspération.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of misère
- misères plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce misère?
- /mi.zɛʁ/
- Quebec /mi.zaɛ̯ʁ/
- \mi.zɛʁ\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to misère
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is misère in French?
misère appears 17 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).