Synonyms of miserable

miserable 1 of 2

adjective

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

• bleak
• lonely
• depressing
• depressive
• dark
• somber
• desolate
• cold
• solemn
• darkening
• lonesome
• murky
• wretched
• morbid
• depressed
• gray
• sad
• dismal
• cheerless
• gloomy
• dreary
• black
• blue
• sullen
• morose
• glum
• chill
• dire
• oppressive
• disconsolate
• forlorn
• lugubrious
• comfortless
• funereal
• unhappy
• cloudy
• drear
• saturnine
• sepulchral
• melancholy
• godforsaken
• elegiac
• desperate
• hopeless
• dreich
• dull
• dejected
• woebegone
• negative
• woeful
• plutonian
• discouraging
• sunless
• tenebrous
• distressful
• inconsolable
• mournful
• mirthless
• despondent
• tenebrific
• grim
• dim
• melancholic
• dispiriting
• Cimmerian
• upsetting
• pessimistic
• distressing
• droopy
• low
• disheartening
• dismaying
• sorrowful
• lamentable
• menacing
• drab
• down
• hangdog
• discomfiting
• plaintive
• colorless
• dour
• threatening
• lowering
• lowery

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cheerful
• friendly
• bright
• cheery
• gay
• festive
• joyous
• comforting
• joyful
• cordial
• merry
• sunshiny
• jolly
• gay
• buoyant
• optimistic
• mirthful
• hopeful
• blithe
• encouraging
• cheering
• heartwarming
• blithesome
• jocund
• lighthearted
• lightsome

2

as in unhappy

feeling unhappiness

the awful news made us miserable

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unhappy
• sad
• depressed
• heartbroken
• bad
• sorry
• melancholy
• upset
• worried
• hopeless
• sorrowful
• disappointed
• uneasy
• wretched
• joyless
• gloomy
• dejected
• mournful
• troubled
• woebegone
• glum
• woeful
• doleful
• disconsolate
• forlorn
• inconsolable
• downcast
• despondent
• heartsick
• depressing
• crestfallen
• melancholic
• brokenhearted
• droopy
• suicidal
• distressed
• blue
• hangdog
• saddened
• down
• low-spirited
• downhearted
• discouraged
• low
• heavyhearted
• down in the mouth
• heartsore
• despairing
• aggrieved
• cast down
• tearful
• bleak
• dispirited
• sunk
• grieving
• unquiet
• desolate
• disheartened
• weeping
• regretful
• somber
• lugubrious
• cheerless
• dismal
• morbid
• anguished
• dreary
• dolorous
• morose
• sullen
• lachrymose
• agonized
• dark
• plaintive
• gray
• comfortless
• wailing
• rueful
• drear
• saturnine
• black
• murky
• darkening
• funereal
• elegiac

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• happy
• joyous
• joyful
• cheerful
• blissful
• glad
• sunny
• cheery
• jubilant
• gleeful
• ecstatic
• upbeat
• buoyant
• merry
• euphoric
• exuberant
• delighted
• jolly
• exultant
• buoyed
• rapturous
• jovial
• optimistic
• chipper
• enraptured
• excited
• mirthful
• hopeful
• rhapsodic
• rosy
• jocular
• blithe
• jocose
• overjoyed
• elated
• exhilarated
• sanguine
• energetic
• gladsome
• vital
• spirited
• satisfied
• gladdened
• smiling
• blithesome
• jocund
• content
• perky
• vivacious
• frisky
• laughing
• lively
• entranced
• encouraged
• animated
• bouncing
• lightsome
• pleased
• careless
• peppy
• thrilled
• sprightly
• springy
• jaunty
• unconcerned
• carefree
• gratified
• zippy
• grinning
• lighthearted
• easygoing
• cavalier
• boon
• heartened
• insouciant
• sprightful
• beaming
• happy-go-lucky
• devil-may-care

3

as in terrible

of low quality

a miserable meal that I wouldn't feed to a dog

Synonyms & Similar Words

• terrible
• poor
• cheap
• bad
• inferior
• rotten
• wretched
• coarse
• worthless
• common
• useless
• mediocre
• crappy
• bum
• lousy
• shoddy
• rubbishy
• low-grade
• low-rent
• execrable
• cheesy
• trashy
• junky
• second-rate
• sleazy
• counterfeit
• fake
• trumpery
• cheapjack
• gimcrack
• indifferent
• lackluster
• valueless
• cut-rate
• schlock
• bargain-basement
• el cheapo
• second-class
• tawdry
• gaudy
• shabby
• meretricious
• showy
• garish
• kitschy
• tacky
• glitzy
• ostentatious
• seedy
• flashy
• swank
• sham
• splashy
• kitsch
• phony
• brummagem
• ultracheap
• supercheap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good
• excellent
• fine
• superior
• first-class
• handsome
• high-grade
• elegant
• first-rate
• top-notch
• tasteful
• polished
• refined
• handcrafted

4

as in dilapidated

showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect

a miserable little apartment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dilapidated
• neglected
• desolate
• tired
• shabby
• dumpy
• scruffy
• mangy
• abandoned
• ruined
• ragged
• tattered
• tacky
• seedy
• tatty
• scrubby
• grungy
• sleazy
• tumbledown
• gone to seed
• ratty
• threadbare
• broken
• down-at-the-heels
• mean
• run-down
• timeworn
• bombed-out
• beat-up
• damaged
• dog-eared
• wrecked
• tatterdemalion
• forlorn
• unkept
• deteriorated
• moth-eaten
• decrepit
• dingy
• destroyed
• godforsaken
• deteriorating
• bedraggled
• hurt
• injured
• ramshackle
• rickety
• decaying
• broken-down
• rackety
• impaired
• worn-out
• harmed
• rattletrap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• new
• fresh
• brand-new
• maintained
• kept-up
• reconstructed
• mended
• patched
• rebuilt
• smart
• spiffy
• cared-for
• spruce

5

as in poor

deserving of one's pity

miserable refugees from the war-torn country

Synonyms & Similar Words

• poor
• pitiful
• pathetic
• wretched
• sorry
• pitiable
• sad
• horrible
• terrible
• piteous
• disturbing
• heartbreaking
• deplorable
• rueful
• awful
• lamentable
• impressive
• regrettable
• emotional
• mournful
• inspiring
• heartrending
• moving
• distressing
• poignant
• sorrowful
• touching
• stirring
• affecting
• upsetting
• grievous
• woeful

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unimpressive
• uninspiring

6

as in pathetic

deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)

that ugly mutt is one miserable excuse for a dog

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pathetic
• pitiful
• sad
• wretched
• lame
• disgusting
• pitiable
• contemptible
• despicable
• bad
• sorry
• poor
• shameful
• disgraceful
• deplorable
• notorious
• hateful
• abominable
• worthless
• infamous
• odious
• stinking
• ignominious
• disreputable
• detestable
• lousy
• discreditable
• abhorrent
• unworthy
• beastly
• dishonorable
• inferior
• shocking
• sordid
• misbegotten
• scandalous
• unsavory
• meritless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• decent
• respectable
• admirable
• outstanding
• excellent
• worthy
• perfect
• noticeable
• notable
• creditable
• meritorious
• noteworthy
• commendable
• presentable
• praiseworthy
• laudable
• reputable
• noble
• honorable
• redoubtable
• straight
• honest
• flawless

miserable

2 of 2

noun

as in pauper

Related Words

• pauper
• waif
• parasite
• guttersnipe
• urchin
• dependent
• leech
• sponge
• hanger-on
• hobo
• bohemian
• sponger
• bum
• moocher
• beggar
• vagabond
• drifter
• tramp
• bludger
• cadger
• vagrant
• clochard
• derelict
• mendicant
• deadbeat
• idler
• panhandler
• schnorrer
• ne'er-do-well

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of miserable

Adjective

Instead, the controversial trade led to Nelson’s own departure from the Warriors only a few months later after the team got off to a miserable 14-31 start in 1994-95. — Carl Steward, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026

Rebounding from a miserable 2025 Hiring had rebounded this year from a lackluster 2025 in the face of the conflict in the Persian Gulf that has sent energy prices surging and put a strain on family budgets. — Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026

Some are hopeful that the implementation of the plan would alleviate their daily miserable existence and improve conditions. — Mkhaimar Abusada, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026

Without spoiling Gluck’s revised ending, Braun’s version at least understood that choosing someone because society insists your time is running out is a terrific way to trap yourself in a miserable future. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026