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 WinslowExamples 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
For now, this is DeVries on the job: intent but measured, teeth ready to clamp down on his tongue, establishing standards while also very much trying to make sure his team isn’t miserable from the beginning.
—Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 11 July 2025
His Panthers opened the season with two miserable losses, complete with booing from fans in the home opener, and the 23-year-old soon became the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall in the Super Bowl era to be benched for non-injury reasons.
—Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 7 July 2025
The user experience on this miserable site is like if Clippy and a CAPTCHA had a baby during a server crash.
—Sierra Shafer, Outside Online, 5 July 2025
This movement culminated in the passage of Proposition 187 in 1994, which sought to make life miserable for undocumented immigrants and was eventually declared unconstitutional.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for miserable
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Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 11 July 2025
His Panthers opened the season with two miserable losses, complete with booing from fans in the home opener, and the 23-year-old soon became the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall in the Super Bowl era to be benched for non-injury reasons.
—Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 7 July 2025
The user experience on this miserable site is like if Clippy and a CAPTCHA had a baby during a server crash.
—Sierra Shafer, Outside Online, 5 July 2025
This movement culminated in the passage of Proposition 187 in 1994, which sought to make life miserable for undocumented immigrants and was eventually declared unconstitutional.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for miserable
Cite this Entry
“Miserable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miserable. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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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