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

George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb will make life miserable for opposing secondaries. — Darren Cooper, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Cyclosporiasis can be treated with antibiotics and is usually not life-threatening, but the miserable symptoms may persist for a month or more. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 23 July 2026

Many people are avoiding lettuce in the midst of the ongoing outbreak of Cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that can contaminate fresh produce and cause days—or even weeks—of miserable gastrointestinal illness. — Angela Haupt, Time, 22 July 2026

Musk has his own army of devout followers, too, but the difference is that Musk is constantly miserable, alienating even some of his own followers with his extreme takes. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 22 July 2026