miserable
- 01 B1 Intermediate
feeling very sad, uncomfortable, or unhappy.
experiencing great distress, discomfort, or unhappiness.
Simple“He felt miserable after losing his job and stayed in bed all day.”
In context“The refugees were living in miserable conditions, lacking basic access to clean water or adequate medical facilities.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
unpleasant weather that is usually cold, grey, and rainy.
of weather conditions: extremely unpleasant, typically characterized by cold, dampness, and lack of sunlight.
Simple“It was a miserable afternoon with constant rain and a cold wind.”
In context“The hike was cancelled due to the miserable weather, as the thick fog made the mountain trails far too dangerous for the group.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
very bad, small, or disappointing in amount or quality.
contemptibly small, inadequate, or of very poor quality.
Simple“The hotel offered a miserable breakfast of just one piece of dry toast.”
In context“The company offered a miserable pay increase that failed to even match the current rate of inflation.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
always complaining or being unfriendly to others.
characterised by a habitually sullen, grumpy, or complaining temperament.
Simple“Don't be so miserable; try to enjoy the party for once.”
In context“He has become a miserable old man who spends his afternoons shouting at the neighbourhood children for playing near his fence.”
“During miserable heat waves, people tend to stay inside if it's cooler there, limiting social connection.”
“The youths “looked so miserable, and their clothes hung about their frames,” she later recalled.”
Borrowed from Middle French miserable, from Old French, from Latin miserabilis, equivalent to miser + -able.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.