miserable 1 of 2

adjective

ˈmi-zər-bəl
Definition of miserablenext
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

miserable

2 of 2

noun

as in pauper

Related Words

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
Adjective
There’s the brutal heat; the skin destroying UV-rays of that miserable, scorching, eye-blinding sun; the constant allergy/sinusitis issues that NEVER let up; the smothering humidity. — R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026 There’s the brutal heat; the skin-destroying UV rays of that miserable, scorching, eye-blinding sun; the constant allergy/sinusitis issues that never let up; the smothering humidity. — Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
Backup QBs Cam Miller (3-11, two picks) and Quinn Ewers (1-8, one pick) were a combined miserable. — Greg Cote august 16, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for miserable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miserable
  1. bleak
  2. unhappy
  3. terrible
  4. dilapidated
  5. poor
  6. pathetic
  7. pauper
  8. lonely
Adjective
  • Under Sorrells, morale at the office is bleak and has resulted in an exodus, according to two veteran prosecutors who left the office and spoke on the condition they not be identified.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Yet missing from this bleak picture are the ways that Ukraine has already adapted to escalating attacks.
    — Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • Dudus was apparently unhappy about a recent NBC News article that exposed Combs’ cushy life behind bars.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Tim Boyd San Juan Capistrano I’m sure there are Dodgers fans unhappy about losing to the Brewers.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • His teams are terrible just before halftime, having been outscored 107-6 in the coach's 24 games.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • If the purpose of buying a suit were merely obtaining clothing, three fittings would be terrible service.
    — Anna van Praagh, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Protests by high school students angry about dilapidated, understaffed schools have roiled France since mid-September.
    — JOHN LEICESTER, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The protests have been building since late September, sparked by complaints of staff shortages and dilapidated schools.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of dilapidated
Adjective
  • Disease that has spread to those organs is associated with poorer treatment outcomes.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
  • They were frustrated with teacher shortages and poor conditions at schools, including overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated buildings.
    — James Cirrone , Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • There’s nothing more important than defeating his pathetic opponent, Mike Collins.
    — NBC news, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Haloed in distorted guitar and jagged synths, Wolf comes off as a champion of her own avoidance, her heroism charmingly pathetic.
    — Enzo Escober, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of pathetic
Noun
  • After Blake Street Cemetery stopped accepting new burials in 1931, New Haven began relying on another paupers’ cemetery located on Woodin Street.
    — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2026
  • That honest job has, across four generations, fed prime ministers and paupers, cooked for the King and Queen, and quietly funded a one-man legal aid service for survivors of abuse.
    — Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of pauper
Adjective
  • Her family supported her, even when her tastes surprised them; school could be lonelier.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The philanthropy journey can be lonely, but there is an opportunity for connections to learn and grow together.
    — Melissa Stevens, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of lonely

Browse Nearby Words

miser
miserable
miserableness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Miserable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miserable. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All