Synonyms of 'miserable'
1 (adjective)
unhappy or depressed
She went to bed, miserable and depressed.Synonyms
sad
, The loss left me feeling sad and empty.
down
, The old man sounded really down.
low
, `I didn't ask for this job, you know,' he tells friends when he is low.
depressed
, , He seemed somewhat depressed.
gloomy
, He is gloomy about the fate of the economy.
dismal
, You can't occupy yourself with dismal thoughts all the time.
afflicted
, melancholy
, It was at this time of day that I felt most melancholy.
heartbroken
, I was heartbroken when you left.
desolate
, He was desolate without her.
forlorn
, He looked a forlorn figure as he limped off.
mournful
, He looked mournful, even near to tears.
dejected
, Everyone has days when they feel dejected or down.
broken-hearted
, despondent
, He often felt despondent after these meetings.
downcast
, a glum, downcast expression
sorrowful
, His father's face looked suddenly soft and sorrowful.
wretched
, The wretched look on the little girl's face melted his heart.
disconsolate
, He was looking increasingly disconsolate.
crestfallen
, He looked crestfallen when she turned him down.
doleful
, He stared over his glasses with a doleful look.
down in the dumps (informal)
, woebegone
, She sniffed and looked quite woebegone.
down in the mouth (informal)
Opposites
2 (adjective)
sordid or squalid
There was nothing in this miserable place to distract him.Synonyms
dreary
, a dreary little town in the Midwest
bleak
, The immediate outlook remains bleak.
desolate
, , a desolate, godforsaken place
depressing
, , the depressing thought of his mother's death
dismal
, The main part of the hospital is pretty dismal.
shabby
, a rather shabby Naples hotel
vile
, a vile and despicable crime
unhappy
, Her marriage is in trouble and she is desperately unhappy.
seedy
, a seedy hotel close to the red light district
sordid
, the attic windows of their sordid little rooms
squalid
, , The migrants have been living in squalid conditions.
wretched
, What a wretched excuse!
cheerless
, The kitchen was a dank and cheerless room.
godforsaken
, , I don't want to stay in this God-forsaken country.
3 (adjective)
causing misery or discomfort
a grey, wet, miserable daySynonyms
unpleasant
, They tolerated what they felt was an unpleasant situation.
wet
, It was a miserable wet day.
rainy
, , , a rainy night
dreich (Scottish)
4 (adjective)
unhappy or depressed
He always was a miserable man. He never spoke to anyone.Synonyms
sullen
, The offenders lapsed into a sullen silence.
sour
, He became a sour, lonely old man.
moody
, Don't go all moody on me!
grumpy
, , I know people think I'm a grumpy old man.
sombre
, The pair were in sombre mood.
bad-tempered
, a crusty, bad-tempered, ill-humoured old gentleman
glum
, What are you both looking so glum about?
surly
, He behaves in a surly and rude manner towards me.
sulky
, , a sulky adolescent
ill-tempered
, , You sound like an ill-tempered child.
lugubrious
, He plays it so slowly that it becomes lugubrious.
cantankerous
, You're just a cantankerous old man.
grouchy
, Grandfather is a grouchy old so-and-so.
peevish
, Lack of sleep always made him peevish.
saturnine
He is a saturnine man who speaks with precision and pedantic care.
5 (adjective)
mean or ungenerous
They have so far accepted only a miserable 1,100 refugees.Synonyms
pathetic
, That's the most pathetic excuse I've ever heard.
low
, That was a really low trick.
sorry
, She is in a sorry state.
disgraceful
, I complained about his disgraceful behaviour.
mean
, Upstaging the bride was a particularly mean trick.
shameful
, It is a shameful state of affairs.
shabby
, It was hard to know why the man deserved such shabby treatment.
abject
, Both of them died in abject poverty.
despicable
, He said it was a despicable crime.
deplorable
, Many of them work under deplorable conditions.
lamentable
, , , He admitted he was partly to blame for England's lamentable performance.
pitiable
, , Her grandmother seemed to her a pitiable figure.
piteous
a piteous sight
Opposites
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Additional synonyms
in the sense of abject
utterly miserable
Both of them died in abject poverty.
in the sense of bad-tempered
a crusty, bad-tempered, ill-humoured old gentleman
Synonyms
grumbling,
snarling,
edgy,
tooshie (Australian, slang),
chippy (informal),
dyspeptic,
oversensitive,
snappish,
narky (British, slang),
out of humour
Video: pronunciation of 'miserable'
Nearby words of 'miserable'
Source
Thesaurus for miserable from the
Collins English Thesaurus