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Pang vs Misery - What's the difference?

pang | misery |

As nouns the difference between pang and misery

is that pang is paroxysm of extreme physical pain or anguish; sudden and transitory agony; throe while misery is great unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind; wretchedness; distress; woe.

As a verb pang

is to torment; to torture; to cause to have great pain or suffering.

pang

English

(Webster 1913)

Noun

(en noun)
  • (often, pluralized) paroxysm of extreme physical pain or anguish; sudden and transitory agony; throe
  • * 1591 , , Henry VI, Part II , act 3, sc. 3,
  • See, how the pangs of death do make him grin!
  • * 1888 , , "The Nightingale and the Rose" in The Happy Prince and Other Tales ,
  • So the Nightingale pressed closer against the thorn, and the thorn touched her heart, and a fierce pang of pain shot through her.
  • (often, pluralized) A sharp, sudden feeling of a mental or emotional nature, as of joy or sorrow
  • * 1867 , , The Guardian Angel , ch. 7,
  • He was startled with a piece of information which gave him such an exquisite pang of delight that he could hardly keep the usual quiet of his demeanor.

    Verb

  • to torment; to torture; to cause to have great pain or suffering
  • * 1918 , , "On Unanswering Letters" in Mince Pie ,
  • It panged him so to say good-bye when he had to leave.

    misery

    English

    Noun

    (miseries)
  • Great unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind; wretchedness; distress; woe.
  • Ever since his wife left him you can see the misery on his face .
  • Cause of misery; calamity; misfortune.
  • (Extreme) poverty.
  • Greed; avarice.
  • Synonyms

    * see

    Derived terms

    * put out of one's misery