View source for miserable

{{also|misérable}}
==English==

===Etymology===
{{bor+|en|frm|miserable}}, from {{der|en|fro|-}}, from {{der|en|la|miserabilis}}, equivalent to {{suf|en|miser|able}}.

===Pronunciation===
* {{IPA|en|/ˈmɪz(ə)ɹəbəl/}}
* {{audio|en|en-us-miserable.ogg|a=US}}

===Adjective===
{{en-adj|more}}

# In a state of [[misery]]: very [[sad]], [[ill]], or [[poor]].
#: {{syn|en|Thesaurus:sad}}
#* {{RQ:Belloc Lowndes Lodger|I|0056
|passage=Thanks to that penny he had just spent so recklessly [on a newspaper] he would pass a happy hour, taken, for once, out of his anxious, despondent, '''miserable''' self. It irritated him shrewdly to know that these moments of respite from carking care would not be shared with his poor wife, with careworn, troubled Ellen.}}
#* {{RQ:Maxwell Mirror and the Lamp|chapter=7|passage=With some of it on the south and more of it on the north of the great main thoroughfare that connects Aldgate and the East India Docks, St. Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most '''miserable''' parish in the East End of London.}}
#* {{quote-book|en|year=1910|author=w:George Bernard Shaw|title=A Treatise on Parents and Children|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/908/908-h/908-h.htm|text=The secret of being '''miserable''' is to have leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not. The cure for it is occupation, because occupation means pre-occupation}}
# Very [[bad]] (''at'' something); [[unskilled]], [[incompetent]]; [[hopeless]].
#: {{syn|en|Thesaurus:unskilled}}
#: {{ux|en|He's good at some sports, like tennis, but he's just '''miserable''' at football.}}
# Of the [[weather]], extremely [[unpleasant]] due to being cold, wet, overcast, etc.
#: {{syn|en|Thesaurus:cheerless}}
# [[wretched|Wretched]]; [[worthless]]; [[mean]]; [[contemptible]].
#: {{syn|en|Thesaurus:despicable|Thesaurus:insignificant}}
#: {{ux|en|a '''miserable''' sinner}}
# {{lb|en|obsolete}} Causing [[unhappiness]] or [[misery]].
#: {{syn|en|Thesaurus:lamentable}}
#* {{RQ:Shakespeare Henry 4-2|III|i|text=For what's more '''miserable''' than discontent?}}
# {{lb|en|obsolete}} [[avaricious|Avaricious]]; [[niggardly]]; [[miserly]].
#: {{syn|en|Thesaurus:stingy|Thesaurus:greedy}}
#* {{RQ:Hooker Laws
|passage=the liberal-hearted man is by the opinion of the prodigal '''miserable''', and by the judgment of the '''miserable''' lavish}}

====Derived terms====
* {{l|en|immiseration}}, {{l|en|immiserization}}
* {{l|en|miserabilism}}
* {{l|en|miserabilist}}
* {{l|en|miserable as a wet hen}}
* {{l|en|miserablism}}
* {{l|en|miserablist}}

====Related terms====
* {{l|en|miser}}
* {{l|en|misery}}

====Collocations====
{{col-top|2|with nouns}}
* miserable life
* miserable condition
* miserable state
* miserable situation
* miserable day
* miserable time
* miserable creature
* miserable person
* miserable child
* miserable failure
* miserable place
* miserable world
* miserable season
* miserable year
* miserable week
* miserable experience
* miserable feeling
* miserable work
* miserable town
* miserable city
* miserable job
* miserable case
* miserable excuse
* miserable dog
miserable birds
{{col-bottom}}

====Translations====
{{trans-top|in a state of misery}}
* Arabic: {{t+|ar|بَائِس}}
*: Moroccan Arabic: {{t|ary|مسكين|m|tr=məskin|alt=مسْكين}}, {{t|ary|مسكينة|f|tr=məskina|alt=مسْكينة}}
* Armenian: {{t+|hy|դժբախտ}}
* Azerbaijani: {{t|az|acınacaqlı}}, {{t|az|miskin}}
* Bulgarian: {{t+|bg|окаян}}, {{t+|bg|злочест}}
* Catalan: {{t+|ca|trist|m}}, {{t|ca|desgraciat|m}}, {{t+|ca|miserable|m|f}}
* Chinese:
*: Cantonese: {{t|yue|悲慘|tr=bei1 caam2}}, {{t|yue|慘|tr=caam2}}, {{t|yue|淒慘}}/{{t|yue|悽慘|tr=cai1 caam2}}
*: Hakka: {{t|hak|悲慘|tr=pî-chhám}}, {{t|hak|慘|tr=chhám}}, {{t|hak|淒慘}}/{{t|hak|悽慘|tr=chhî-chhám}}
*: Hokkien: {{t+|nan-hbl|悲慘|tr=pi-chhám}}, {{t|nan-hbl|淒慘}}/{{t+|nan-hbl|悽慘|tr=chhi-chhám}}, {{t|nan-hbl|慘|tr=chhám}}
*: Mandarin: {{t+|cmn|悲慘|tr=bēicǎn}}, {{t+|cmn|慘|tr=cǎn}}, {{t|cmn|淒慘}}/{{t+|cmn|悽慘|tr=qīcǎn}}
* Cornish: {{t|kw|moredhek}}
* Czech: {{t+|cs|nešťastný}}, {{t|cs|bědný}}
* Danish: {{t|da|elendig}}
* Esperanto: {{t|eo|mizera}}
* Finnish: {{t+|fi|kurja}}
* French: {{t+|fr|misérable}}
* Galician: {{t+|gl|miserábel|m|f}}
* German: {{t+|de|elend}}, {{t+|de|erbärmlich}}, {{t+|de|jämmerlich}}, {{t+|de|miserabel}}
* Gothic: {{t|got|𐍅𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌷𐍃}}
* Greek: {{t+|el|άθλιος|m}}
*: Ancient: {{t|grc|ἄθλιος}}, {{t|grc|μέλεος}}, {{q|Epic}} {{t|grc|δύστηνος}}
* Gujarati: {{t|gu|દુઃખી}}, {{t|gu|કંગાળ}}
* Haitian Creole: {{t|ht|mizerab}}
* Hebrew: {{t+|he|אֻמְלָל|m|tr=umlál}}, {{t+|he|מסכן|tr=miskén}}
* Hindi: {{t+|hi|दुःखी}}, {{t+|hi|उदास}}
* Hungarian: {{t+|hu|nyomorult}}
* Icelandic: {{t+|is|ömurlegur|m}}, {{t|is|ömurleg|f}}, {{t|is|ömurlegt|n}}
* Irish: {{t|ga|aimléiseach}}, {{t+|ga|ainnis}}, {{t|ga|anóiteach}}, {{t|ga|galair}}
* Japanese: {{t+|ja|惨め|tr=みじめな, mijime na|alt=惨めな}}, {{t+|ja|悲惨|tr=ひさんな, hisan na|alt=悲惨な}}
* Korean: {{t|ko|불행한 상황}}
* Latin: {{t+|la|miser}}
* Manchu: {{t|mnc|ᡤᠣᠰᡳᡥᠣᠨ}}
* Maori: {{t|mi|tiwhatiwha}}, {{t|mi|kōtonga}}
* Middle English: {{t|enm|myschevous}}
* Norman: {{t|nrf|mînséthabl'ye}} {{q|Jersey}}
* Norwegian:
*: Bokmål: {{t+|nb|kummerlig}}
* Old English: {{t|ang|earm}}
* Polish: {{t+|pl|nędzny}}, {{t+|pl|nieszczęśliwy}}
* Portuguese: {{t+|pt|miserável}}
* Romanian: {{t+|ro|mizerabil}}, {{t+|ro|nenorocit}}, {{t+|ro|mizer}}
* Russian: {{t+|ru|несча́стный}}, {{t+|ru|бе́дный}}
* Sanskrit: {{t+|sa|दीन}}
* Scottish Gaelic: {{t|gd|brònach}}
* Spanish: {{t+|es|miserable}}
* Tocharian B: {{t|txb|anās}}
* Tày: {{t|tyz|cáo vá}}
* Vietnamese: {{t+|vi|khốn khổ}}
* Walloon: {{t+|wa|mizeråve|m|f}}, {{t+|wa|pôvriteus|m}}, {{t+|wa|pôvriteuse|f}}, {{t+|wa|minåve|m|f}}
* Welsh: {{t+|cy|penisel}}
{{trans-bottom}}

{{trans-top|very bad (at)}}
* Bulgarian: {{t+|bg|лош}}
* Czech: {{t+|cs|mizerný|m}}
* Finnish: {{t+|fi|kurja}}, {{t+|fi|avuton}}
* German: {{t+|de|miserabel}}
* Greek: {{t+|el|κακός|m}}, {{t+|el|αξιοθρήνητος|m}}
* Hebrew: {{t|he|גרוע|m|tr=garúa}}, {{t|he|מחורבן|m|tr=mekhurbán}} {{qualifier|vulgar}}
* Hungarian: {{t+|hu|gyatra}}, {{t+|hu|pocsék}}
* Japanese: {{t+|ja|下手|tr=へたな, heta na|alt=下手な}}
* Portuguese: {{t+|pt|horrível}}
* Russian: {{t+|ru|неуме́лый}}
{{trans-bottom}}

{{trans-top|wretched}}
* Finnish: {{t+|fi|kurja}}
* Greek:
*: Ancient: {{t|grc|ἄθλιος}}
* Irish: {{t|ga|dearóil}}
* Latin: {{t+|la|miser}}
* Maori: {{t|mi|tureikura}}
* Middle English: {{t|enm|myschevous}}
{{trans-bottom}}

===Noun===
{{en-noun}}

# A miserable person; a [[wretch]].
#* {{quote-text|en|year=1838|title=The Foreign Quarterly Review|volume=21|page=181
|passage=Dona Carmen repaired to the balcony to chat and jest with, and at, these '''miserables''', who stopped before the door to rest in their progress. All pretended poverty while literally groaning under the weight of their riches.}}
#* {{quote-text|en|year=2003|author=Richard C. Trexler|title=Reliving Golgotha: The Passion Play of Iztapalapa|pages=46–47
|passage=The charge that those who played Jesus in these representations were treated badly by the plays' Jews and Romans left one commissioner cold: in his view, these miserables were beaten much less severely by the players than they were by their actual lords or ''curacas''.}}
# {{lb|en|informal|in the plural|with definite article}} A state of [[misery]] or [[melancholy]].
#* {{quote-text|en|year=1984|author=Barbara Wernecke Durkin|title=Oh, You Dundalk Girls, Can't You Dance the Polka?|page=10
|passage=By 3:00 P.M. both DeeDee and Sandra's pants were thoroughly soaked, and this unhappy circumstance gave DeeDee a bad case of the '''miserables'''.}}

===Anagrams===
* {{anagrams|en|a=abeeilmrs|marbelise|marbleise}}

{{cln|en|3-syllable words}}
{{C|en|Emotions|Sadness}}

==Catalan==

===Etymology===
{{lbor|ca|la|miserābilis}}.

===Pronunciation===
* {{ca-IPA}}

===Adjective===
{{ca-adj}}

# {{l|en|miserable}}

==German==

===Pronunciation===
* {{audio|de|De-miserable.ogg}}

===Adjective===
{{head|de|adjective form}}

# {{de-adj form of|miserabel}}

==Spanish==

===Etymology===
{{lbor|es|la|miserābilis}}.

===Pronunciation===
{{es-pr}}

===Adjective===
{{es-adj}}

# {{l|en|miserable}}
# [[poor]]
# [[greedy]], [[stingy]]

====Derived terms====
{{col|es|miserablemente}}

====Related terms====
{{col|es|mísero|miseria}}

===Further reading===
* {{R:es:DRAE}}