proverb · Words worth keeping
A fate worse than death.
A fate worse than death.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The phrase compares an ordeal with something worse than death. It expresses extreme dread or suffering through exaggeration.
What the words are saying
The comparison conveys intensity, not an objective ranking of lives or experiences. A responsible explanation should not repeat the supplied gloss’s suggestion that misfortune makes life worthless. Distress deserves attention and support, and the phrase does not establish that death is preferable.
Everyday example
A reader recognises a character’s extreme dread without accepting the comparison as a judgment of anyone’s life.
When to use it
Use it to explain emotional intensity rather than a literal valuation of life.
What it does not mean
No life is shown worthless by hardship, and no preference for death is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 480; PDF page 71
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.