ˈmi-zər-bəl
1
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
spent the night in a miserable jail cell
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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
Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 15 Aug. 2025
Here a miserable delivery boy gets by disposing of mummies recovered in Iquique, North of Chile.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 11 Aug. 2025
Starter Adrian Houser, making his second start following his July 31 acquisition from the White Sox, put the Rays in a huge hole with a miserable 45-pitch first inning, allowing four runs.
—Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Aug. 2025
In these tiring segments, Jude seems to be commenting on how Dracula has gone from immortal legend more than a century ago to miserable victim forced to run away from angry fans out for his blood.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Noun
Absolutely, that was that miserable running test in gym class.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 15 Aug. 2025
Here a miserable delivery boy gets by disposing of mummies recovered in Iquique, North of Chile.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 11 Aug. 2025
Starter Adrian Houser, making his second start following his July 31 acquisition from the White Sox, put the Rays in a huge hole with a miserable 45-pitch first inning, allowing four runs.
—Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Aug. 2025
In these tiring segments, Jude seems to be commenting on how Dracula has gone from immortal legend more than a century ago to miserable victim forced to run away from angry fans out for his blood.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miserable
Adjective
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The fiscal prospects for both Chicago and its transit authority are bleak.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
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Europe’s biggest economy Germany shrank more than expected in the second quarter of the year and faces a bleak outlook.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And a surprising amount of grace from staff who, although unhappy with the changes, felt respected.—
Taazima Kala,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
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But the new move enables them to not only cement their life in Windsor for the long term, but also to leave some of those unhappy associations behind them.—
Simon Perry,
People.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Whether your team is in the middle of a winning run or mired in terrible form, five minutes looking at the standings can convince you that a hundred different futures are possible.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
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While the latter is known for its legendarily terrible English localization, both of these were highly innovative horizontal scrolling shmups for their time.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The real estate flipper and property manager who built his empire on broken promises Former real estate broker Bert Whalen lived comfortably in a waterfront mansion on Geist Reservoir while Indianapolis tenants suffered in dilapidated and neglected homes his companies managed.—
Alexandria Burris,
IndyStar,
13 Aug. 2025
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By now, most Denverites know that the Denver Broncos’ ownership team is highly considering acquiring the dilapidated and contaminated Burnham Yard site from the state to build a new stadium and entertainment district.—
The Denver Post Editorial Board,
Denver Post,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The general manager, making a rare road trip, told reporters that his presence had more to do with his scheduling availability than the Yankees’ third-place standing or their poor play over the past two-plus months.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
16 Aug. 2025
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Specifically, poor capital allocation decisions have destroyed significant value.—
Kenneth Squire,
CNBC,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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What’s more pathetic than those who keep selling that myth?—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Aug. 2025
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Kamala has lied for years about their pathetic job growth, which has never been real.—
Meg Kinnard,
Fortune,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The county is required by law to continue its deceased pauper program, which is being transferred to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.—
Ciara McCarthy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Aug. 2025
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Alvarez is the pauper of the group, with Judge and Soto combining for $1.125 billion in salary over the lives of their contracts.—
C. Trent Rosecrans,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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But when Shapiro demoed it on piano, Stiller recognized a spiritual cousin to David Shire’s lonely, somewhat jazzy solo piano score for The Conversation.—
Tim Greiving,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Aug. 2025
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Revenge is a piping-hot casserole, graciously presented to a lonely ex-tormentor.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Miserable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miserable. Accessed 29 Aug. 2025.
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