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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Josh Gross, Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026
Many of you are miserable, horrible people.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
At the wedding, is Joette miserable because of her love for Vernice, or is her unhappiness due to something greater?
—CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
For this Welsh immigrant family rose from nothing to produce an American icon who mastered a distinctly American art form — the ultimate apotheosis of the American Dream — and who is, ironically, the most miserable of them all.
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Adjective
The end of the first block of games for the Los Angeles Football Club comes Saturday in Houston, a leg of the Texas circuit that has generally been miserable for them the past few seasons.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026
Many of you are miserable, horrible people.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
At the wedding, is Joette miserable because of her love for Vernice, or is her unhappiness due to something greater?
—CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
For this Welsh immigrant family rose from nothing to produce an American icon who mastered a distinctly American art form — the ultimate apotheosis of the American Dream — and who is, ironically, the most miserable of them all.
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miserable
Adjective
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For two teens unable to use their legs, the future was especially bleak.—
Nicole Acevedo,
NBC news,
7 Mar. 2026
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So what’s to be done when things look bleak?—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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With price pressures still bubbling in ways that have made consumers unhappy about affordability, economists are closely monitoring the impact of higher energy prices.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Mar. 2026
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Unions, which were unhappy with the prospect of any industry consolidation may give Paramount a hard time and may not want to play ball.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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So many terrible things happen that the reader develops a kind of flinch, bracing for the next calamity whenever there is a brief lull in the misery.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
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My actions were selfish; my actions were terrible.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This Milwaukee program takes dilapidated houses, acquired by the city through property tax foreclosure, and rehabs them for new home buyers.—
Steven Martinez,
jsonline.com,
1 Mar. 2026
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Such as dilapidated neighborhoods, toxic air, unkept public parks, failing infrastructure, unreliable public transportation and low wages.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Through its clear imagery, operators can navigate safely and assess fire scenes even with poor visibility.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Mar. 2026
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An injection like this has a clear advantage over daily prevention pills in poorer countries, where patients – particularly young women – might struggle to access clinics or feel stigmatised for seeking treatment.—
Harriet Marsden,
TheWeek,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The pathetic leaks didn’t work.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
2 Mar. 2026
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The jobs report was a complete failure, and his economic approval sits at a pathetic 39%.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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That perspective was a lonely and isolating one.—
Nina Zipkin,
CNBC,
2 Mar. 2026
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But ‘no writer worth his salt is even, or can be,’ Eudora Welty wrote, reviewing Salinger’s lonely nine in these pages.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Miserable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miserable. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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