miserable
[ miz-er-uh-buhl, miz-ruh- ]
/ ˈmɪz ər ə bəl, ˈmɪz rə- /
adjective
wretchedly unhappy, uneasy, or uncomfortable: miserable victims of war.
wretchedly poor; needy.
of wretched character or quality; contemptible: a miserable villain.
attended with or causing misery: a miserable existence.
manifesting misery.
worthy of pity; deplorable: a miserable failure.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
misenus, miser, miser, the, miserabilism, miserabilist, miserable, miserably, miserere, misericord, misericords, miserly
Origin of miserable
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin miserābilis, equivalent to miserā(rī) to pity (derivative of miser wretched) + -bilis -ble
SYNONYMS FOR miserable
2 destitute.
3 despicable, mean, low, abject.
6 pitiable, lamentable.
Related formsmis·er·a·ble·ness, nounmis·er·a·bly, adverbqua·si-mis·er·a·ble, adjectivequa·si-mis·er·a·bly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for miserably
British Dictionary definitions for miserably
miserable
/ (ˈmɪzərəbəl, ˈmɪzrə-) /
adjective
unhappy or depressed; wretched
causing misery, discomfort, etca miserable life
contemptiblea miserable villain
sordid or squalidmiserable living conditions
Scot, Australian and NZ mean; stingy
(pejorative intensifier)you miserable wretch
Derived Formsmiserableness, nounmiserably, adverb
Word Origin for miserable
C16: from Old French, from Latin miserābilis worthy of pity, from miserārī to pity, from miser wretched
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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