miserabel
miserable
Of extremely poor quality or at a very low level.
EXAMPLE
Das Essen im Hotel war wirklich miserabel.
The food at the hotel was truly miserable.
miserabel
miserable
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
miserabel
miserable
To feel physically or emotionally very bad, wretched, or unhappy.
EXAMPLE
Seit meiner Erkältung fühle ich mich einfach nur miserabel.
Since my cold, I've simply felt miserable.
Usage tips
Word family
The adjective 'miserabel' (miserable) is related to the noun 'die Misere' (misery/plight), which means 'great misery' or 'emergency situation'. This connection helps you understand the strength of the word: it does not just mean 'bad', but 'wretched' or 'pathetic'.
EXAMPLE
Die Mannschaft befindet sich nach der Niederlage in einer echten Misere.
After the defeat, the team is in a real plight.
Register
'Miserabel' (miserable) is a strong and expressive word. It is often used to emphasize great dissatisfaction or a very bad feeling and sounds somewhat more elevated than just 'schlecht' (bad).
EXAMPLE
Die Arbeitsbedingungen in der Fabrik waren miserabel.
The working conditions in the factory were miserable.
Typical collocations
When referring to poor quality, 'miserabel' (miserable) often describes abstract things such as performance, a result, mood, or the weather.
EXAMPLE
Trotz des miserablen Wetters machten wir einen Spaziergang.
Despite the miserable weather, we went for a walk.
Sentence structure
To express that someone feels bad, there are two typical constructions: 'sich miserabel fühlen' (to feel miserable) or the dative construction 'jemandem ist miserabel' (someone feels miserable).
EXAMPLE
Nach der langen Reise fühlte ich mich miserabel.
After the long trip, I felt miserable.
Compare with
miserabel vs schlecht
bad
Schlecht and miserabel both describe low quality. Schlecht is the general and less strong term. Miserabel expresses a particularly strong negative evaluation and fits when the quality is perceived as extremely low.
miserabel
Das Hotelzimmer war miserabel, weil es schmutzig, eiskalt und nachts extrem laut war.
The hotel room was miserable because it was dirty, freezing cold, and extremely noisy at night.
schlecht
Das Hotelzimmer war schlecht, weil es laut und nicht ganz sauber war.
The hotel room was bad because it was noisy and not completely clean.
In real life
Loading video examples...