Les Misérables

American  

[ley mee-zey-ra-bl^uh] / leɪ mi zeɪˈra blə /

noun

1. a novel (1862) by Victor Hugo.

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Les Misérables Cultural  

1. (1862) A novel by Victor Hugo. The central character, Jean Valjean, is sentenced to prison for stealing a single loaf of bread. Later, seeking respectability, Valjean is hounded by his archenemy, Inspector Javert.

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The broad canvas of Hugo's novel has been adapted for numerous films and a long-running Broadway (see also Broadway) musical (usually known as Les Miz).

Example Sentences

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Les Misérables

But his wish list of non-woke repertory, which also included Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera, draws on an attachment that predates his entry into national politics: Broadway musicals.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

Chalamet previously told BBC News that Boyle "dreamt bigger than all of us," referring to her 2009 BGT performance of I Dreamed A Dream from Les Misérables.

From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2025

Gilroy set to work meticulously highlighting the Maine-area colloquialisms and metaphors and building out Detective Mackey as a Javert-type villain, echoing the relentless inspector in Victor Hugo’s "Les Misérables."

From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2025

“The sewer is the conscience of the city,” wrote the poet and novelist Victor Hugo, of Les Misérables fame.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2024

I don’t know if it was my mood or whether it was just Les Misérables itself, but I spent the next hour feeling helplessly pounded by French misery.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama