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

Among them is a simple farmer (a terrific Andrew Garfield) whose miserable, solitary life is illustrated by his relentless plowing of his fields and the three graves, marked by one large and two small crosses, that occupy his land. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026

Last Year The Cardinals endured a miserable 2025 campaign, finishing last in the NFC West with a 3–14 record. — David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Noun

Backup QBs Cam Miller (3-11, two picks) and Quinn Ewers (1-8, one pick) were a combined miserable. — Greg Cote august 16, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026