miserable

Compared meaning: feeling or looking very sad (adjective).

比较义项：感到或显得不快乐、痛苦（形容词）。

• unhappy

  The mildest of the three; a general, everyday word for feeling or looking sad or dissatisfied, often about one specific event; neutral register.

  三者中语气最轻，是表示感到或显得悲伤、不满的通用日常用词，常针对某一具体事件；语域中性。

  He looked unhappy after hearing the disappointing news.

  听到那个令人失望的消息后，他显得不快乐。

• miserable 本词

  Stronger than unhappy; suggests deep unhappiness often combined with physical discomfort or hardship, and is common in everyday spoken English.

  程度比 unhappy 更深，常暗示深切的不快乐并伴随身体上的不适或困顿，是口语中常见的用词。

  He felt miserable after losing his wallet on the train.

  在火车上丢了钱包后，他感到很痛苦。

• wretched

  The strongest; describes a pitiable, unfortunate state that invites sympathy, and can also describe animals or things, not just people; slightly literary.

  三者中语气最强，形容一种可怜、不幸、令人同情的状态，除了人以外也可用来形容动物或事物，语体略带文学色彩。

  The wretched little dog shivered alone in the cold rain.

  那只可怜的小狗独自在冷雨中瑟瑟发抖。

Unhappy, miserable, and wretched all mean feeling sad, but differ in strength. Unhappy is mildest, an everyday word for one sad thing. Miserable is stronger, often with physical discomfort. Wretched is strongest, describing a pitiable state. Miserable's other sense, meaning nasty, is not compared here.

这三个词都形容人感到不快乐，但程度不同：unhappy 语气最轻，只是一般的不高兴；miserable 程度更深，常带身心上的痛苦或不适；wretched 语气最强，带有可怜、悲惨的意味，也常带文学色彩。这里不比较 miserable 的“卑鄙的”这一义项。