Meaning
wretched, meager, poor
- wretched, destitute, poor
- meager, paltry, insufficient
- despicable, petty, contemptible
In a sentence
La famiglia viveva in una stanza misera e fredda.
The family lived in a wretched, cold room.
Con un misero stipendio, come paghi l'affitto?
With such a meager salary, how do you pay the rent?
Non essere così misero: offri tu il caffè.
Don't be so stingy: you buy the coffee.
Word forms (4)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| misero | masculine · singular |
| misera | feminine · singular |
| miseri | masculine · plural |
| misere | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Before a noun, misero often means “pitifully small”: una misera somma = a mere/paltry sum, not necessarily emotionally miserable.
- For a person’s emotional state, Italians often prefer infelice, triste, or disperato; misero can sound literary, dramatic, or pitying.
- As a noun, il misero/la misera means “the poor wretch.” Learners often miss this nominal use.