What does "miserable" mean?
A miserable person; a wretch.
Miserable
/ˈmɪz(ə)ɹəbəl/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A miserable person; a wretch.
- Grammar: miserable is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: deplorable, woeful, wretched, abject.
- Useful contrasts: beautiful, exultant, merry.
- Usage evidence: A miserable sequence of defeats discouraged us.
How to use "miserable"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "miserable" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "miserable" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "miserable" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "miserable" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "miserable" is acting as adj, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "deplorable" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "miserable", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A miserable person; a wretch.
"Dona Carmen repaired to the balcony to chat and jest with, and at, these miserables, who stopped before the door to rest in their progress. All pretended poverty while literally groaning under the weight of their riches."
- 2 A state of misery or melancholy. in-plural, informal, with-definite-article
"By 3:00 P.M. both DeeDee and Sandra's pants were thoroughly soaked, and this unhappy circumstance gave DeeDee a bad case of the miserables."
Adjective
- 1 In a state of misery: very sad, ill, or poor.
"Thanks to that penny he had just spent so recklessly [on a newspaper] he would pass a happy hour, taken, for once, out of his anxious, despondent, miserable self. It irritated him shrewdly to know that these moments of respite from carking care would not be shared with his poor wife, with careworn, troubled Ellen."
- 2 Very bad (at something); unskilled, incompetent; hopeless.
"He's good at some sports, like tennis, but he's just miserable at football."
- 3 Of the weather, extremely unpleasant due to being cold, wet, overcast, etc.
- 4 Wretched; worthless; mean; contemptible.
"a miserable sinner"
- 5 Causing unhappiness or misery. obsolete
"For what's more miserable than discontent?"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Avaricious; niggardly; miserly. obsolete
"the liberal-hearted man is by the opinion of the prodigal miserable, and by the judgment of the miserable lavish"
Adjective
- 1 contemptibly small in amount wordnet
- 2 characterized by physical misery wordnet
- 3 of the most contemptible kind wordnet
- 4 deserving or inciting pity wordnet
- 5 very unhappy; full of misery wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 of very poor quality or condition wordnet
Example
"A miserable sequence of defeats discouraged us."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "miserable"?
Common synonyms include: deplorable, woeful, wretched, abject, abject, abominable.
How do you use "miserable" in a sentence?
A miserable sequence of defeats discouraged us.
How do you pronounce "miserable"?
Pronounced /ˈmɪz(ə)ɹəbəl/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French miserable, from Old French, from Latin miserabilis, equivalent to miser + -able.