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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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
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
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The goofy sketch comedies and homemade spoofs that once filled his channel gradually disappeared, replaced by melancholy short films and bleak monologues.
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Cher’s court documents paint a bleak picture of how Allman, 49, allegedly blows through his $120,000 annual trust distributions.
Adjective
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Isdin Melatonik If traditional retinoids have left your sensitive skin unhappy, Isdin's Melatonik Recovery Night Serum offers a gentler approach with bakuchiol.
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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
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Thank you to everyone who read or contributed to this column over the years, who reached out to me with story ideas or tips, or complimented my terrible artwork.
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Visitors will see his Rough Riders uniform; the 1884 diary grieving his terrible loss; and the eyeglasses case, speech and shirt from the 1912 assassination attempt against him.
Adjective
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Sixteen children from the same family who were rescued from a dilapidated home in rural Ohio were living in wretched conditions with human waste all around, confined to just one room over much of the past four years, authorities said Wednesday.
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The parents and grandparents of 16 children found living in a dilapidated house in southern Ohio were arraigned Wednesday on more than a dozen felony child endangerment charges, officials said.
Adjective
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Because of that, these hands suffer from high production costs, poor durability against impacts, short operational lifespans, and there are no existing solutions that engineers can readily draw upon, Wang added.
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The extreme heat can also affect people who are physically ill, especially those with heart disease or high blood pressure, or who take certain medications, such as for depression, insomnia, or poor circulation.
Adjective
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After these first three majors — and after a pathetic showing this week at Shinnecock — there's no reason to bet against it.
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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
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Bournemouth are not a pauper club any more, but the performance this season has still be remarkable.
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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.
Adjective
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His lonely life away from friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) included sleeping under the stairs.
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Thrown into the thick of a ballet season, the dancer explained that there wasn’t time to be lonely.
Cite this Entry
“Miserable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miserable. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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