ˈmi-zər-bəl
1
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
spent the night in a miserable jail cell
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unhappy
feeling unhappiness
the awful news made us miserable
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in terrible
of low quality
a miserable meal that I wouldn't feed to a dog
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4
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
a miserable little apartment
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5
as in poor
deserving of one's pity
miserable refugees from the war-torn country
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6
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
that ugly mutt is one miserable excuse for a dog
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of miserable
Eva Holland, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2026
The Hawks’ guard had a miserable 3-of-10 shooting night.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
There’s this sick joy in being really miserable, leaning into the misery that accompanies loss.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The reality could not have been more miserable.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Adjective
But as Fedarko proceeds, his deep familiarity with, and love for, the region comes through strongly, and his vivid writing makes even the most miserable points of the journey sound at least a little bit tempting.
—Eva Holland, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2026
The Hawks’ guard had a miserable 3-of-10 shooting night.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
There’s this sick joy in being really miserable, leaning into the misery that accompanies loss.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The reality could not have been more miserable.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miserable
Adjective
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Speaking at an event held at the Aloft Hotel in Doral, a hub for Venezuelan diaspora activism, Guanipa painted a bleak picture of conditions inside Venezuela and sharply criticized the country’s current leadership, accusing those in power of clinging to control despite widespread rejection.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
2 May 2026
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Without giving too much away about the endings of Caveat and Oddity, McCarthy (like Ohm) leans toward the bleak and open-ended.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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There were also rumblings that Banchero was unhappy with Mosley, which began as early as November and continued throughout the season.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
People are unhappy on a grand scale.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
3 May 2026
Adjective
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The delay seemed to Silva like one more indignity in a terrible series of events that began with her husband’s death in 2024.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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The logic here is peak modern NBA, and the league wants to make being slightly below average more rewarding than being truly terrible.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Longtime Oak Lawn Village Board member Timothy Desmond has resigned from his post to enter into a contract with the village through his home building company to restore dilapidated properties, with the goal of putting them back on the tax rolls.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
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The newborn lived in a dank and dilapidated enclosure alongside seven other lions, including his parents, Kim and Carl, said Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of Humane World for Animals Canada, whose organization helped shut down the zoo and rescue the lions.—
Andrea Sachs,
Washington Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Injuries to key players on the Amazin’s contributed to some poor numbers as well.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
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Although poor students are disproportionately likely to receive special education in New York City, well-off disabled kids are the ones most acutely driving up the budget.—
Marc Novicoff,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But as Notes from Underground progresses, his behavior turns from funny to pathetic to downright despicable.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
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Over pinwheeling synths, Mahesh inhabits her narrator’s misplaced longing with gooey, heart-eyed delusion and sweetly pathetic determination.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Titanic is still a subject of worldwide fascination, in part because of the range of passengers aboard the ship, from paupers to plutocrats.—
Jill Lawless,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
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The Titanic is still a subject of worldwide fascination, in part because of the range of passengers aboard the ship, from paupers to plutocrats.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Even populous British colonies like Virginia and Pennsylvania grew blurry on their western frontiers, where indistinct borders were protected by a few lonely forts.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Eyre-Morgan, who also wrote the script, stars as a lonely thirtysomething named Benji looking for a connection of any kind following a particularly devastating breakup.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Miserable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miserable. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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