ˈmi-zər-bəl
1
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
spent the night in a miserable jail cell
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unhappy
feeling unhappiness
the awful news made us miserable
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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
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025
This luxuriant, almost decadent virtuosity can feel out of synch with a tale of miserable, penny-pinching extremes.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025
Over time, international attention to Gaza will fade, particularly if limited violence does not become massive and if the humanitarian situation is miserable rather than catastrophic.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2025
Ultimately the findings suggest life for a Roman soldier at Hadrian’s Wall was pretty miserable, the researchers said.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Adjective
And with that comes a miserable, complicated, and ironically unenviable predicament for general manager Mike Grier.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025
This luxuriant, almost decadent virtuosity can feel out of synch with a tale of miserable, penny-pinching extremes.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025
Over time, international attention to Gaza will fade, particularly if limited violence does not become massive and if the humanitarian situation is miserable rather than catastrophic.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2025
Ultimately the findings suggest life for a Roman soldier at Hadrian’s Wall was pretty miserable, the researchers said.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miserable
Adjective
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Her family later learned that on April 23, 2021 — the day Parker found his aunt in a bleak mood — Dee had an angry confrontation over financial issues with two employees of the trucking company.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
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Some of Tarr’s most memorable scenes feature landscapes, often bleak and despairing settings of decaying Hungarian towns, punctuated with close-ups of characters’ faces.—
John Penner,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This is a no-win situation because one of us will end up unhappy.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
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The automaker spent much of the year undoing decisions made by the previous CEO, Carlos Tavares, who resigned at the end of 2024, as stakeholders in the company — from dealers to union rank and file — were upset with him and unhappy with his leadership.—
Liam Rappleye,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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How Other Parents Reacted to Murphy’s Post The reaction to Murphy’s revelations about his parenting style were mixed, with some commenters offering sympathy, while others more or less accused him of being a terrible father.—
Alex Shoemaker,
Parents,
12 Jan. 2026
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And the main thing that Yasmin has in common with her husband—the hapless aristocrat Henry Muck, played by Kit Harington—is their terrible fathers.—
Louis Staples,
Glamour,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In this way, abandoned and often dilapidated homes are saved and renovated rather than being left to further deteriorate or be torn down.—
Eric Adler
December 22,
Kansas City Star,
22 Dec. 2025
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To find her, Luis becomes embedded with an outlaw band of ravers, who cross the Moroccan desert in huge, dilapidated trucks.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
16 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Jan. 2026
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In recent games, KU’s communication has been pretty poor on defense and that’s led to players taking (and too often missing) wide-open 3-pointers.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Add the pathetic reality that Illinois is the very definition of unfriendliness for business development and job creation, and the only thing Pritzker and his accomplices can campaign on is the vilification of Trump, facts be damned.—
Paul Miller,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
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There are solutions to Joe Biden’s failing and pathetic attempts to raise money to build a presidential library.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
20 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Tate eventually moved in with her family, who rejected Austen; Austen moved to the Staten Island Farm Colony, a pauper’s hospital.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
22 Nov. 2025
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When the new sections were added, the old burying ground became a pauper's cemetery for poor White and and Black residents.—
Alexandria Burris,
IndyStar,
14 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The patient thriller finds Agnes lonely in her seedy motel, with a phone that often rings, though the person on the other end of the line never speaks.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
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Namir Smallwood stars opposite Coon as Peter, a paranoid former soldier and mysterious drifter who meets her character Agnes, a lonely waitress.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Miserable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miserable. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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