Miserable
'mɪzərəbl
Definitions
2 meaningsFeeling or causing a great sense of unhappiness, discomfort, or distress.
'mɪzərəbl
Feeling or causing a feeling of great unhappiness or discomfort.
She was miserable after losing her favorite necklace.
💡 Simply: Imagine your favorite toy breaks, and you feel really, really sad and down. That's how being miserable feels. Like having a gray, cloudy day inside you.
👶 For kids: Feeling very, very sad and unhappy.
More Examples
The cold and rain made the hike a miserable experience.
He lived a miserable life filled with hardship.
How It's Used
"He felt miserable after failing the exam."
"The patient described feeling miserable and hopeless."
Of a low standard or quality; very poor or inadequate.
'mɪzərəbl
Very poor or of a low standard; inadequate.
They lived in a miserable, run-down apartment.
💡 Simply: Imagine you order food that’s really bad—it's not tasty, the portion is tiny, and the service is terrible. That food is miserable. It's a word to describe when something isn't good at all.
👶 For kids: Not good at all; bad quality.
More Examples
The food was absolutely miserable.
The service in the restaurant was miserable.
How It's Used
"The country suffered from miserable economic conditions."
"They had a miserable little house in a rundown area."
Synonyms
Idioms & expressions
make someone miserable
To cause someone to feel unhappy.
"The constant criticism made her miserable."
a miserable failure
Describes something that completely fails to succeed.
"The project was a miserable failure, wasting months of work."
From Old French *miserable*, from Latin *miserabilis* ('wretched, pitiable'), derived from *miser* ('wretched, unhappy').
Used in the medieval period to describe someone in a state of distress and unhappiness.
Memory tip
Think of someone who has missed their birthday party and is feeling very sad.