misery loves company

English

Etymology

From misery, to love and company.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmɪz(ə)ɹɪ lʌvz ˈkʌmp(ə)ni/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɪz(ə)ɹi lʌvz ˈkʌmpəni/

Proverb

misery loves company

1. Misery is easier to bear when one is not the only one miserable.
   • 1995, Chris Abbott, “State of Flux”, season 1 episode 11 of Star Trek: Voyager:

     Tuvok: [It is curious] That my failure, added to your own, should improve your feelings.

     Chakotay: Misery loves company, Tuvok.

Translations

misery is easier when one is not the only one

• Arabic: البؤس يحبّ الصُحبة
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 同病相憐／同病相怜 (zh) (tóngbìngxiānglián)

• Dutch: ellende houdt van gezelschap
• Finnish: kaksin aina kaunihimpi (literally “it's always better together”)
• Galician: mal de moitos, consolo de todos (literally “misfortune of many, comfort of all”)
• German: geteiltes Leid ist halbes Leid
• Italian: mal comune mezzo gaudio (literally “common trouble, half the joy”)
• Japanese: 同病相憐れむ (ja) (dōbyō aiawaremu)
• Latin: solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris (it is a comfort to the wretched to have companions in misery)
• Sicilian: trìvulu 'n cumuni e menzu javiu (literally “common trouble is half the joy”)
• Spanish: nunca falta un roto para un descosido, mal de muchos, consuelo de tontos (es) (literally “misfortune of many, comfort of fools”), la miseria es mas fácil de conllevar cuando uno no es el único (literally “misery is easier to bear when one is not the only one”)

See also

• commiserate
• a trouble shared is a trouble halved