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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of miserable
David Weigel, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
These behaviors create miserable workplace cultures that lead to a big retention and employee engagement problem.
—Ellen Whitlock Baker, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
But the Broncos will look to confuse him with multiple looks and make the Titans one dimensional to make his life miserable.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
After the snakebitten franchise, famous for losing four straight Super Bowls in the 1990s, finally snapped a miserable 17-season playoff drought in 2017, then drafted franchise cornerstone quarterback Josh Allen, the Bills have been back, baby.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Noun
That, Kirk believed, would help win over young people who felt they were being offered miserable choices by the left.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
These behaviors create miserable workplace cultures that lead to a big retention and employee engagement problem.
—Ellen Whitlock Baker, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
But the Broncos will look to confuse him with multiple looks and make the Titans one dimensional to make his life miserable.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
After the snakebitten franchise, famous for losing four straight Super Bowls in the 1990s, finally snapped a miserable 17-season playoff drought in 2017, then drafted franchise cornerstone quarterback Josh Allen, the Bills have been back, baby.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miserable
Adjective
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Yes, there are good reasons to question NASA's long-term plans for the Artemis lunar program—the woeful cost of the Space Launch System rocket, the complexity of new commercial landers, and a bleak budget outlook.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
-
That's rather bleak, while Charlie Sheen's life has just been bonkers.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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My research team works hard to keep the email addresses up to date, but executives keep changing their addresses to avoid having to deal with unhappy customers.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
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But few seemed to leave unhappy.—
Jonathan Hawkins,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Yes, there are so much terrible stuff online.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Sep. 2025
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But that obviously terrible call compromised the integrity of that game last night, and that's something the sport should be looking to avoid.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Additionally, several existing dilapidated buildings on the site will be demolished and their concrete recycled and partly reused to realize the new structures.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Sep. 2025
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Dayna is unemployed and newly single, and an out-of-the-blue opportunity to fix up a dilapidated mansion into an influencer house seems like her ticket to a new life.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Cutting carbs entirely can raise the risk of cholesterol, kidney stones, poor bone health, gut problems, and even cancer, added Stefanki.—
Caitlin Pagán,
Verywell Health,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Before Wednesday’s game, people within the organization were optimistic about Helsley putting his tipping problem and overall poor pitching behind him, pointing to a clean inning Monday.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The end of that era came slowly, through the pathetic collapse of Syria and Lebanon as functioning states, and then quickly, when Israel began touching Hezbollah in unexpected places.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
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Want the poop on this pathetic history?—
Brian Domitrovic,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The time-traveler received terrible, albeit false, news in Episode 6: A midwife who’d been paid to lie informed him that Julia and their baby had died during childbirth, their bodies thrown in a pauper’s grave.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
5 Sep. 2025
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The woman shares that Julia was buried in an unmarked grave as a pauper.—
Lincee Ray,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Breaking free from the isolation tax isn’t just about feeling less lonely.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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There are a lot of lonely people out there.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Miserable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miserable. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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