Miserable — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈmi-zər-bəl/ mis·er·a·ble

Meaning & Definition of Miserable

Miserable (adjective)

  1. being in a pitiable state of distress or unhappiness (as from want or shame)
  2. very sick
  3. wretchedly inadequate or meager

Miserable (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer

    "spent the night in a miserable jail cell"

    similar: black, bleak, cheerless, chill, Cimmerian, cloudy, cold, comfortless, dark, darkening, depressing, depressive, desolate, dire, disconsolate, dismal, drear, dreary, dreich (chiefly Scottish), elegiac, forlorn, funereal, gloomy, glum, godforsaken, gray, lonely, lonesome, lugubrious, morbid, morose, murky, plutonian, saturnine, sepulchral, solemn, somber, sullen, sunless, tenebrific, tenebrous, wretched
    related: blue, dejected, depressed, despondent, down, droopy, hangdog, inconsolable, low, melancholic, melancholy, mirthless, sad, unhappy, woebegone, woeful, dim, discomfiting, discouraging, disheartening, dismaying, dispiriting, distressful, distressing, upsetting, desperate, hopeless, pessimistic, lamentable, mournful, plaintive, sorrowful, colorless, drab, dull, dour, grim, lowering, lowery, menacing, negative, oppressive, threatening
    opposite: bright, cheerful, cheering, cheery, comforting, cordial, festive, friendly, gay, heartwarming, sunshiny
    near: blithe, blithesome, buoyant, gay, jocund, jolly, joyful, joyous, merry, mirthful, encouraging, hopeful, optimistic, lighthearted, lightsome

  2. feeling unhappiness

    "the awful news made us miserable"

    similar: bad, blue, brokenhearted, cast down, crestfallen, dejected, depressed, despondent, disconsolate, doleful, down, down in the mouth, downcast, downhearted, droopy, forlorn, gloomy, glum, hangdog, heartbroken, heartsick, heartsore, heavyhearted, inconsolable, joyless, low, low-spirited, melancholic, melancholy, mournful, sad, saddened, sorrowful, sorry, unhappy, woebegone, woeful, wretched
    related: aggrieved, distressed, troubled, uneasy, unquiet, upset, worried, despairing, hopeless, sunk, disappointed, discouraged, disheartened, dispirited, suicidal, dolorous, lachrymose, lugubrious, plaintive, tearful, regretful, rueful, agonized, anguished, grieving, wailing, weeping, black, bleak, cheerless, comfortless, dark, darkening, depressing, desolate, dismal, drear, dreary, elegiac, funereal, gray, morbid, morose, murky, saturnine, somber, sullen
    opposite: blissful, buoyant, buoyed, cheerful, cheery, chipper, delighted, glad, gladdened, gladsome, gleeful, happy, joyful, joyous, jubilant, sunny, upbeat
    near: ecstatic, elated, enraptured, entranced, euphoric, exhilarated, exuberant, exultant, overjoyed, rapturous, rhapsodic, blithe, blithesome, jocose, jocular, jocund, jolly, jovial, lightsome, merry, mirthful, excited, thrilled, hopeful, optimistic, rosy, sanguine, encouraged, heartened, animated, bouncing, energetic, frisky, jaunty, lively, peppy, perky, spirited, sprightful, sprightly, springy, vital, vivacious, zippy, content, gratified, pleased, satisfied, beaming, grinning, laughing, smiling, boon, carefree, careless, cavalier, devil-may-care, easygoing, happy-go-lucky, insouciant, lighthearted, unconcerned

  3. of low quality

    "a miserable meal that I wouldn't feed to a dog"

    similar: bad, bargain-basement, bum, cheap, cheapjack, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy (slang), cut-rate, el cheapo, execrable, gimcrack, inferior, junky, lousy, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, poor, rotten, rubbishy, schlock, second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, terrible, trashy, trumpery, wretched
    related: useless, valueless, worthless, indifferent, lackluster, second-class, brummagem, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, kitsch, kitschy, meretricious, ostentatious, showy, splashy, swank, tawdry, seedy, shabby, tacky, counterfeit, fake, phony, sham, supercheap, ultracheap
    opposite: excellent, fine, first-class, first-rate, good, high-grade, superior, top-notch
    near: elegant, handsome, tasteful, handcrafted, polished, refined

  4. showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect

    "a miserable little apartment"

    similar: beat-up, bombed-out, dilapidated, dog-eared, down-at-the-heels, dumpy, grungy, mangy, mean, moth-eaten, neglected, ratty, run-down, scrubby, scruffy, seedy, shabby, sleazy, tacky, tatterdemalion, tatty, threadbare, timeworn, tumbledown, gone to seed
    related: abandoned, unkept, desolate, forlorn, godforsaken, broken-down, decrepit, tired, worn-out, bedraggled, dingy, ragged, tattered, decaying, deteriorated, deteriorating, rackety, ramshackle, rattletrap, rickety, broken, damaged, destroyed, harmed, hurt, impaired, injured, ruined, wrecked
    near: brand-new, fresh, new, cared-for, kept-up, maintained, mended, patched, rebuilt, reconstructed, smart, spiffy, spruce

  5. deserving of one's pity

    "miserable refugees from the war-torn country"

    similar: heartbreaking, heartrending, pathetic, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, poor, rueful, sorry, wretched
    related: deplorable, lamentable, regrettable, emotional, impressive, inspiring, affecting, moving, poignant, stirring, touching, awful, horrible, terrible, distressing, disturbing, upsetting, grievous, mournful, sad, sorrowful, woeful
    near: unimpressive, uninspiring

  6. deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)

    "that ugly mutt is one miserable excuse for a dog"

    similar: contemptible, despicable, pathetic, pitiable, pitiful, sad, sorry, wretched
    related: deplorable, discreditable, disgraceful, disreputable, ignominious, infamous, misbegotten, notorious, shameful, abhorrent, abominable, beastly, detestable, hateful, lousy, odious, stinking, bad, inferior, lame, poor, disgusting, dishonorable, meritless, unworthy, worthless, scandalous, shocking, sordid, unsavory
    opposite: decent, presentable, respectable
    near: admirable, commendable, creditable, laudable, meritorious, praiseworthy, redoubtable, notable, noteworthy, noticeable, outstanding, reputable, worthy, excellent, flawless, perfect, honorable, noble, honest, straight

Miserable (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in pauper

    similar: pauper, guttersnipe, urchin, waif, bludger (chiefly Australian & New Zealand), cadger, hanger-on, leech, moocher, parasite, schnorrer, sponge, sponger, bohemian, bum, clochard, drifter, hobo, tramp, vagabond, vagrant, dependent, beggar, mendicant, panhandler, deadbeat, derelict, idler, ne'er-do-well

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Miserable

The most common words with a similar meaning to Miserable:

Chiefly Scottish: dreich
Slang: crappy
Chiefly Australian & New Zealand: bludger
black, bleak, cheerless, chill, Cimmerian, cloudy, cold, comfortless, dark, darkening, depressing, depressive, desolate, dire, disconsolate, dismal, drear, dreary, elegiac, forlorn, funereal, gloomy, glum, godforsaken, gray, lonely, lonesome, lugubrious, morbid, morose, murky, plutonian, saturnine, sepulchral, solemn, somber, sullen, sunless, tenebrific, tenebrous

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Miserable

Words with the opposite meaning of Miserable:

bright, cheerful, cheering, cheery, comforting, cordial, festive, friendly, gay, heartwarming, sunshiny, blissful, buoyant, buoyed, chipper, delighted, glad, gladdened, gladsome, gleeful, happy, joyful, joyous, jubilant, sunny, upbeat, excellent, fine, first-class, first-rate

Related Words for Miserable

mirthless, dim, discomfiting, discouraging, disheartening, dismaying, dispiriting, distressful, distressing, upsetting, desperate, hopeless, pessimistic, lamentable, plaintive, colorless, drab, dull, dour, grim, lowering, lowery, menacing, negative, oppressive, threatening, aggrieved, distressed, troubled, uneasy

Near Antonyms of Miserable

blithe, blithesome, jocund, jolly, merry, mirthful, encouraging, hopeful, optimistic, lighthearted, lightsome, ecstatic, elated, enraptured, entranced, euphoric, exhilarated, exuberant, exultant, overjoyed, rapturous, rhapsodic, jocose, jocular, jovial, excited, thrilled, rosy, sanguine, encouraged

Word Forms of Miserable

Derived words: miserable (noun), miserableness (noun), miserably (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Miserable

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin miserabilis wretched, pitiable, from miserari to pity, from miser

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Miserable

Words & Phrases Containing Miserable

(as) miserable as sin

Frequently Asked Questions about Miserable

What does "Miserable" mean?

"Miserable" means being in a pitiable state of distress or unhappiness (as from want or shame). As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: being in a pitiable state of distress or unhappiness (as from want or shame). It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Miserable"?

Other words for "Miserable" include black, bleak, cheerless, chill, Cimmerian, cloudy, cold and comfortless. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Miserable" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Miserable"?

There are 302 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Miserable". Common alternatives include black, bleak, cheerless, chill, Cimmerian, cloudy, cold, comfortless, dark and darkening.

What is the opposite of "Miserable"?

Antonyms of "Miserable" include bright, cheerful, cheering, cheery, comforting, cordial, festive and friendly. Near antonyms include blithe, blithesome, jocund and jolly.

How do you use "Miserable" in a sentence?

Examples of "Miserable" in a sentence: "spent the night in a miserable jail cell"; "the awful news made us miserable"; "a miserable meal that I wouldn't feed to a dog".

Is "Miserable" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Miserable" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Miserable" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Miserable" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Miserable"?

"Miserable" is pronounced /ˈmi-zər-bəl/ and divided into syllables as mis·er·a·ble.