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
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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
Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 16 June 2026
Spain’s recent record in the tournament is also miserable.
—David Hickey, NBC news, 15 June 2026
What started off as a miserable day to be outside due to temperatures well over 80, as well as a brief rainfall, all those issues were forgotten after once the skies cleared up.
—Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026
In 2022, a Walmart contractor posted a video from a store break room where an employee looked exhausted and miserable.
—Ann Larson, Time, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Adjective
As Sylvia continues to rebuff her, the child grows miserable, then desperate.
—Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 16 June 2026
Spain’s recent record in the tournament is also miserable.
—David Hickey, NBC news, 15 June 2026
What started off as a miserable day to be outside due to temperatures well over 80, as well as a brief rainfall, all those issues were forgotten after once the skies cleared up.
—Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026
In 2022, a Walmart contractor posted a video from a store break room where an employee looked exhausted and miserable.
—Ann Larson, Time, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miserable
Adjective
-
My father is a can-do, glass-half-full guy, a quality that has always felt like a rebuke of my own bleak world view, which makes the poor man literally wince.—
Sarah Miller,
New Yorker,
20 June 2026
-
The numbers were even bleaker in other categories.—
Carlos De Loera,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
Isdin Melatonik If traditional retinoids have left your sensitive skin unhappy, Isdin's Melatonik Recovery Night Serum offers a gentler approach with bakuchiol.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
23 June 2026
-
Brown and the Celtics have both since denied speculation that the 29-year-old second-team All-NBA selection was unhappy with his role in Boston.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
22 June 2026
Adjective
-
This is Conolly’s Folly, built in 1740 at the height of a terrible famine.—
Amelia Soth,
JSTOR Daily,
18 June 2026
-
The heroes who save us from these awful, terrible music haters do so with force.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Unable to pay rent, the boys moved several hours away to the small, dilapidated house with the leaky roof where rent is minimal.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
18 June 2026
-
Buck Island offered to sell the dilapidated unit to Brown for $1,000, funded partially with her security deposit.—
Gretchen Morgenson,
NBC news,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
These conditions can increase your vulnerability to adverse effects from poor air quality.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Oc Register,
16 June 2026
-
Equating the Holocaust to Gaza is in extremely poor taste.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Consider this pathetic phenomenon yet one more reason the American people — or, at least, Californians — should demand a more rational way to fund political campaigns.—
Michelle Cottle,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
-
After a truly pathetic opening half, the Knicks needed to give each and every row in MSG something to cheer about.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Bournemouth are not a pauper club any more, but the performance this season has still be remarkable.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
-
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
Adjective
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But the book’s ruminative watchfulness is unsuccessfully conjugated in this overly sedate play with music, which has the feel of a song cycle, though sung by the fine cast with gorgeous, lonely sorrow.—
Brian Seibert,
New Yorker,
19 June 2026
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One casualty was his lovely Princeton apartment, which never came together, more grad-student than dean in its feel, a lonely refrigerator in the kitchen holding only a cup of iced coffee or a jar of mayonnaise.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Miserable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miserable. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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