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
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
a novel that uses bleak lanugage and harsh descriptions of the landscape to evoke the miserableness of poverty
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
Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Daryl was born in 1952, four years after the club’s last championship and just in time for four decades of miserable baseball on the lakeshore.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Maroon’s retiring, and Brodie, who hasn’t seen the ice since March 1 in Anaheim, seems like a prime candidate to have his miserable run with the Hawks end in a buyout.
—Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025
The three-decade history of Blink-182 is marked by epic highs and miserable lows.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Adjective
Before Minecraft, the turnout for major films at the box office has been middling to miserable.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Daryl was born in 1952, four years after the club’s last championship and just in time for four decades of miserable baseball on the lakeshore.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Maroon’s retiring, and Brodie, who hasn’t seen the ice since March 1 in Anaheim, seems like a prime candidate to have his miserable run with the Hawks end in a buyout.
—Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025
The three-decade history of Blink-182 is marked by epic highs and miserable lows.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miserable
Adjective
-
The observations from Drewry’s and Moody’s, as well as the scenario floated by McCown, follow a bleak outlook for the middle of May out of the biggest port in the U.S.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Complicating matters further is a bleak hydrological outlook.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Some 59% of voters are unhappy with how things are going in the country.—
Dana Blanton,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Particularly now that Americans are unhappy with the state of economy.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Public interest in the film intensified after a stroke of terrible happenstance.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
-
United have fallen massively and it’s been a terrible watch all season, bar a couple of highs.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The South Lodge, at the base of the Quail chair, burned down in 2016 and in its place sits a row of dilapidated structures and storage sheds.—
Megan Michelson,
Outside Online,
4 Apr. 2025
-
When no firm alternatives emerged, and with the site growing mildewed and dilapidated, the original construction resumed.—
By Charlie Campbell/Gelephu, Bhutan,
TIME,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Consumer spending softened, increasing 1.8%, down from a 4% rise in the fourth quarter, but a decent performance in light of stock market turmoil and poor weather early in the quarter.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
-
These factors could contribute material risk to Nike’s earnings and put the company in a poor position to manage near-term headwinds.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Kenney-Silver delivers a touchingly nuanced performance as Anne, balanced on the fine line between sad as in devastated and sad as in pathetic.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
1 May 2025
-
Marathon needs to be given every possible chance to succeed and making Bungie crunch to fix things and throwing it into the wolves as a fall release (one that’s literally on the same day as Borderlands 4, mind you) would be a pathetic excuse for support.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Community service for an increasingly lonely, isolated society?—
Nate Rogers,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
-
According to recent Gallup data, approximately 20% of U.S. adults report feeling lonely every day.—
Dominique Fluker,
Essence,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
If my random and unscientific survey of some French opinion at all represents the nation’s as a whole, then the debut of Donald Trump’s America has left some French triste — a bit sad, even brokenhearted, and also wary and vigilant.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2025
-
Her story is beautiful and sad, heartwarming and devastating.—
American Booksellers Association,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Miserable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miserable. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share