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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of miserable
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
And Charlotte is done being miserable.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
Allergies can be miserable but manageable – even in an overproductive year like much of America is seeing in 2026.
—Levi Keller, The Conversation, 5 May 2026
Airlines are first and foremost a service industry, and Spirit could not overcome its extraordinarily miserable reputation.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Adjective
Four trusted her enough to go on the record, and on camera, shining a light for the first time on the heartbreaking human toll of the Palm Beach millionaire’s miserable world.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
And Charlotte is done being miserable.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
Allergies can be miserable but manageable – even in an overproductive year like much of America is seeing in 2026.
—Levi Keller, The Conversation, 5 May 2026
Airlines are first and foremost a service industry, and Spirit could not overcome its extraordinarily miserable reputation.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miserable
Adjective
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The job market is showing intermittent signs of recovery after a bleak 2025.—
Paul Wiseman,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
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The outlook appeared so bleak that Alexey Miranchuk gestured to the heavens and said, if the team could acquire help from a higher power and get a road win, maybe the ship could be steered in the right direction.—
Amna Subhan,
AJC.com,
7 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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Now, nearly two years later, the school finds itself in a terrible spot, as accusations of serious misconduct arise and an investigation by the athletic department heats up.—
Trey Wallace OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
And, betting on terrible outcomes doesn't signify what the better actually wants to happen.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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Zaragoza stationed his men on the high ground, hidden behind cacti, behind walls of dilapidated forts, in ditches.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
4 May 2026
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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
Adjective
-
Injuries to key players on the Amazin’s contributed to some poor numbers as well.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
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 11 May. 2026.
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