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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
a miserable little apartment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in poor
deserving of one's pity
miserable refugees from the war-torn country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
that ugly mutt is one miserable excuse for a dog
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of miserable
Ramon Ramirez, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
What should be the happiest time of their lives quickly turns miserable.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
Stewie’s miserable, the other kids are miserable, and even the turtle is miserable… until Stewie begins rolling out his trusty array of devices to take them anywhere in space and time, turning every boring day at school into an insane and surreal adventure.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
In a way, Pickett’s addition feels like a jarring course correction following Dalton’s miserable performance against the Buffalo Bills last year.
—Mike Kaye
march 12, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Adjective
And writing that miserable journey of the self is why Young’s songs have seized social media.
—Ramon Ramirez, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
What should be the happiest time of their lives quickly turns miserable.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
Stewie’s miserable, the other kids are miserable, and even the turtle is miserable… until Stewie begins rolling out his trusty array of devices to take them anywhere in space and time, turning every boring day at school into an insane and surreal adventure.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
In a way, Pickett’s addition feels like a jarring course correction following Dalton’s miserable performance against the Buffalo Bills last year.
—Mike Kaye
march 12, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miserable
Adjective
-
But just as the season was looking bleak, the Horned Frogs began to evolve into the best versions of themselves.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Mar. 2026
-
But as bleak losses pile up at the end of another disappointing season, this defensive disconnect remains a clear focal point for the team’s plans to build a better future.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The post got 22,000 views, including from unhappy folks living next to data centers, but no helpful information.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Against this backdrop, the unhappy Angine shops compulsively in a department store and develops a fascination with a playful salesgirl.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Even if the football this summer is terrible, plenty of the teams are going to look great.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
In the 1970s-1980s, all the agricultural talk in the Mississippi Delta was whether the boll weevil would be terrible or just awful this coming fall.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But these Brown and Black immigrants were usually segregated into dilapidated apartments in the region’s oldest housing stock.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The guy handed Gary some cash and Stewart disappeared into a dilapidated trailer.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
While youth suicide remains a leading cause of death, the youth suicide rate is down in Colorado, and the number of kids reporting poor mental health also dropped from 23% in 2023 to 14% in 2025.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The launch came amid overcast skies and a weather forecast that was reduced to just a 75% chance for good conditions, according to Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron, which also noted a moderate risk for poor conditions at the booster landing site.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Astin sinks into his pathetic character with full commitment, but the running gag about Ron getting more upset about the possibility of being banned from the fast-food restaurant than anything else is hammered so relentlessly that the character just seems mentally challenged.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Of course, the notes turn out to mostly be about her as well as the principal (played by Gosling), detailing their most pathetic behaviors.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This sudden outburst earns her a pauper’s grave, after she’s hauled out of the restaurant and shoved, accidentally or intentionally, down the stairs.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
-
In fact many of the characters—even Big Gunna, one of the great larger-than-life paupers of Laxness’s oeuvre—did live in Mosfellsdalur and went by the names Laxness gives them in the book.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Has your pursuit of pilot wave theory been a lonely one?—
Tim Folger,
Scientific American,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Simply put, they are based on the assumption that an unmarried person would be lonely in the afterlife.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Miserable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miserable. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
