miserable
adjective
mis·er·a·ble
ˈmi-zər-bəl,
ˈmiz-rə-,
ˈmi-zə-rə-
1
: being in a pitiable state of distress or unhappiness (as from want or shame)
miserable refugees
2
a
: wretchedly inadequate or meager (see meager sense 2)
a miserable hovel
b
: causing extreme discomfort or unhappiness
a miserable situation
miserable weather
his miserable childhood
3
: being likely to discredit or shame
his miserable neglect of his wife
had a miserable, snide contempt for our country—
Joyce Winslow
Joyce WinslowSynonyms
- black
- bleak
- cheerless
- chill
- Cimmerian
- cloudy
- cold
- comfortless
- dark
- darkening
- depressing
- depressive
- desolate
- dire
- disconsolate
- dismal
- drear
- dreary
- dreich [chiefly Scottish]
- elegiac
- elegiacal
- forlorn
- funereal
- gloomy
- glum
- godforsaken
- gray
- grey
- lonely
- lonesome
- lugubrious
- morbid
- morose
- murky
- plutonian
- saturnine
- sepulchral
- solemn
- somber
- sombre
- sullen
- sunless
- tenebrific
- tenebrous
- wretched
Examples of miserable in a Sentence
He had a miserable childhood.
My boss is making my life thoroughly miserable with her constant demands and criticism.
He felt lonely and miserable after his divorce.
I've had a miserable cold for the past week.
He lived in a miserable little shack.
Recent Examples on the Web
More than 200 viruses cause the coughs and sneezes that make so many of us miserable every fall and winter.
—Keren Landman, Vox, 9 Sep. 2024
The attempt to periodically de-age Jon Voight, who plays an old, fictional ex-KGB spy, is doomed from the start, as is the choice to frame the president’s life as a tale of civilizational struggle spun through his miserable Russian accent.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2024
It’s been a miserable year for the men’s national football (not soccer) team, but hopefully things will start to turn around soon.
—Kris Holt, Forbes, 8 Sep. 2024
The record-breaking heat wave pummeling Southern California will continue through the weekend, delivering a miserable combination of triple-digit highs and unrelenting overnight heat.
—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for miserable 
Keren Landman, Vox, 9 Sep. 2024
The attempt to periodically de-age Jon Voight, who plays an old, fictional ex-KGB spy, is doomed from the start, as is the choice to frame the president’s life as a tale of civilizational struggle spun through his miserable Russian accent.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2024
It’s been a miserable year for the men’s national football (not soccer) team, but hopefully things will start to turn around soon.
—Kris Holt, Forbes, 8 Sep. 2024
The record-breaking heat wave pummeling Southern California will continue through the weekend, delivering a miserable combination of triple-digit highs and unrelenting overnight heat.
—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for miserable
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'miserable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Miserable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miserable. Accessed 17 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
miserable
adjective
mis·er·a·ble
ˈmiz-ər-bəl
ˈmiz-(ə-)rə-bəl
1
a
: shabby in condition or quality
a miserable place to live
b
: causing great discomfort or unhappiness
a miserable cold
2
: extremely poor or unhappy : wretched
miserableness
noun
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