sufferer

S1U1F4F4E1R1E1R1

noun

One who suffers; one who is afflicted.

Similar
sick persondiseased personmartyr
Less commonScrabble 14

Meanings

nounsufferer (plural sufferers)

plural sufferers

  1. One who suffers; one who is afflicted.

    All the main-line railways, as well as London Transport, were affected by flying-bomb damage, but naturally the Southern Railway was the principal sufferer for geographical reasons, and the L.N.E.R. came next with the damage it sustained in the Stratford area.

    1944 November and December, “Rapid Damage Repair”, in Railway Magazine, page 323
  2. UKobsoleteslangA tailor.

    From a creditor, being a "victim," "schneider," "sufferer," or "tailor," to one who sets off his wares by wearing the same, being consequently a debtor. HONOURED SIR,— I can scarcely express my delight at your kind compliments as to the fit and patterns […]

    1841, Punch Or The London Charivari, volume 1, page 160

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna person suffering from an illness

Similar
sick persondiseased person
Broader
unfortunateunfortunate person

nounone who suffers for the sake of principle

Similar
Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinsuffero
  2. Latinsufferre
  3. Vulgar Latin*sufferīre
  4. Old Frenchsuffrir
  5. Middle Englishsuffren
  6. Englishsuffer
  7. Englishsufferer

From suffer + -er.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian страда́лец
  • страда́лец (stradálec)one who suffers
Dutch lijder
  • lijderone who suffers
French malade
  • maladeone who suffers
German Leider
  • Leiderone who suffers
Hebrew סובל, סובלת
  • סובל (sovel)one who suffers
  • סובלת (sovelet)one who suffers
Hindi भोगी, भोक्ता
  • भोगी (bhogī)one who suffers
  • भोक्ता (bhoktā)one who suffers
  • पीड़ित (pīṛit)one who suffers
Māori hāura
  • hāuraone who suffers
Portuguese sofredor, sofredora
  • sofredorone who suffers
  • sofredoraone who suffers
Russian страда́лец, страда́лица
  • страда́лец (stradálec)one who suffers
  • страда́лица (stradálica)one who suffers
Spanish sufridor
  • sufridorone who suffers
Welsh dioddefwr
  • dioddefwrone who suffers
Cite this entry
APA

sufferer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sufferer

MLA

“sufferer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sufferer. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sufferer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sufferer.

Source: sufferer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.