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
Julie Scott,
Verywell Health,
24 June 2026
Humans love to see other people being miserable.
—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
But the latter can also make life expensively miserable for the former.
—
Mark Gongloff,
Mercury News,
24 June 2026
But in the near term, working during the Industrial Revolution was kind of dangerous and miserable.
—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Adjective
But even short-term illness can be miserable and may require medical care, especially if dehydration becomes severe.
—
Julie Scott,
Verywell Health,
24 June 2026
Humans love to see other people being miserable.
—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
But the latter can also make life expensively miserable for the former.
—
Mark Gongloff,
Mercury News,
24 June 2026
But in the near term, working during the Industrial Revolution was kind of dangerous and miserable.
—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miserable
Adjective
-
The goofy sketch comedies and homemade spoofs that once filled his channel gradually disappeared, replaced by melancholy short films and bleak monologues.
-
Cher’s court documents paint a bleak picture of how Allman, 49, allegedly blows through his $120,000 annual trust distributions.
Adjective
-
Isdin Melatonik If traditional retinoids have left your sensitive skin unhappy, Isdin's Melatonik Recovery Night Serum offers a gentler approach with bakuchiol.
-
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.
Adjective
-
The production quality was terrible.
-
But in May of 1943, a terrible fire burned his studio to the ground.
Adjective
-
The Reflecting Pool has been a pet project of the president, who, before renovations got underway this spring, characterized it as dilapidated and dirty and said previous presidents had neglected it.
-
Unable to pay rent, the boys moved several hours away to the small, dilapidated house with the leaky roof where rent is minimal.
Adjective
-
Rebecca Lowe joins Dan Patrick to discuss some of the top storylines around the World Cup, including Cristiano Ronaldo's poor play to start, the United States' potential and more.
-
Will the gap between rural and urban America – and the gap between rich and poor America – decline or grow?
Adjective
-
After these first three majors — and after a pathetic showing this week at Shinnecock — there's no reason to bet against it.
-
The Right Now’s Diana Levy — the executive producer of the stunt — asked reporters to spread out in a way that would make the turnout appear as sparse (and therefore pathetic) as possible.
Noun
-
Bournemouth are not a pauper club any more, but the performance this season has still be remarkable.
-
The Titanic is still a subject of worldwide fascination, in part because of the range of passengers aboard the ship, from paupers to plutocrats.
Adjective
-
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.
-
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.
Cite this Entry
“Miserable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miserable. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
