Extremely unhappy or uncomfortable, or causing unhappiness and discomfort.
From Latin miserabilis, from miserari 'to pity,' from miser 'wretched.' Entered English in the 15th century, originally meaning 'deserving of pity' before shifting to describe the feeling itself.
The linguistic shift from 'deserving pity' to 'feeling wretched' reflects changing cultural attitudes toward suffering - we moved from external judgment to internal experience. Victor Hugo's 'Les Misérables' captures both meanings: characters who deserve compassion and feel profound unhappiness.
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