miserably missed

USAGE SUMMARY

"miserably missed" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It is generally used to describe a situation where something was attempted but not achieved. For example: "The team tried their best, but in the end they miserably missed the chance to win the championship."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

He miserably missed that opportunity.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

But as usual, he missed miserably.

The New York Times

The frontman was part of a team the Rangers chairman, Dave King, claimed had "failed miserably" when they missed out on promotion a year ago.

The Guardian - Sport

And I now believe, though no one's told me, that Sally had actually forced him to come: to make him suffer penance, to show him that abandonment had worked out well for her, to embarrass the shit out of him, to confuse him, to make him miss her miserably, make me seem his superior, plus darker reasons that I assume are involved in almost everything we do and that there's no use thinking about.

The New Yorker

He had recently been in this position before and had faltered miserably, losing his dribble once against the Philadelphia 76ers and missing a hook shot last week against the Knicks.

The New York Times - Sports

Desperate to get their friend back, Peter, Cleveland and Quagmire try to re-cripple Joe, failing miserably until Bonnie comes along with Joe's handgun and shoots (and misses) Joe's spine.

Wikipedia

A good chunk of Memphis's vaunted lineup went missing for long stretches because of foul trouble and the Tigers shot miserably in the first half.

The New York Times - Sports

Products that miss the sweet spot by arriving too early or too late, often fail miserably.

Forbes

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 15 — Pfizer, the world's biggest drug company, flopped miserably with a seemingly can't-miss idea.

The New York Times

Upstairs at the party, Fisher visits a kindred free spirit, Miss Addie (a wonderful Ellen Burstyn), now a miserably pain-wracked woman immobilized by a stroke, who entreats Fisher to give her "deliverance" through an overdose of pain medication.

The New York Times

And the records Miss Toguri chose were often British rather than American, entertaining the troops without making them think miserably of home.As a nisei, the daughter of first-generation Japanese immigrants, she looked thoroughly Japanese.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "miserably missed" when you want to emphasize both the failure and the disappointment or negative consequences associated with it. This phrase adds a layer of emotional impact compared to simply stating something was missed.

Common error

Avoid using "miserably missed" in highly formal or professional writing where a more neutral or objective tone is preferred. Opt for alternatives like "failed to achieve" or "did not reach" to maintain a professional distance.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "miserably missed" functions as an adverbial modifier emphasizing the degree of failure associated with missing something. It adds emotional weight, highlighting not just the lack of achievement but also the disappointment or negative consequences. As shown in the Ludwig examples, it often accompanies descriptions of opportunities or goals that were not attained.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "miserably missed" is a grammatically sound phrase used to emphasize the failure of an opportunity or goal, often implying disappointment or regret. While validated by Ludwig AI as a correct English phrase, it appears infrequently, mainly in news and media contexts. Although not inherently informal, the emotional tone of "miserably" suggests caution in highly formal writing. Alternatives such as "utterly failed" or "completely botched" may be more appropriate in those settings. Using "miserably missed" effectively requires considering the desired emotional impact and the formality of the context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

massively missed

Replaces "miserably" with "massively", intensifying the degree of failure.

roundly missed

Replaces "miserably" with "roundly", suggesting a comprehensive failure.

absolutely missed

Replaces "miserably" with "absolutely", emphasizing the completeness of the failure.

unequivocally missed

Replaces "miserably" with "unequivocally", highlighting the lack of ambiguity in the failure.

spectacularly missed

Replaces "miserably" with "spectacularly", drawing attention to the dramatic nature of the failure.

utterly missed

Replaces "miserably" with "utterly", underscoring the completeness and finality of the failure.

miserably lost

Substitutes "missed" with "lost", altering the focus to a state of being lost rather than a failure to achieve something.

totally missed

Replaces "miserably" with "totally", which is a more casual way of emphasizing the degree of failure.

completely missed

Replaces "miserably" with "completely", emphasizing the thoroughness of the failure.

badly missed

Replaces "miserably" with "badly", changing the tone to indicate a more unfortunate or regrettable failure.

FAQs

How can "miserably missed" be used in a sentence?

"Miserably missed" is used to emphasize the failure of an opportunity or target, implying disappointment or regret. For instance: "He "miserably missed" that opportunity."

What phrases are similar to "miserably missed"?

Alternatives to "miserably missed" include "utterly failed", "completely botched", or "significantly failed", depending on the context.

Is "miserably missed" too informal for academic writing?

While grammatically correct, "miserably missed" may be perceived as too emotive for formal academic writing. Consider more neutral alternatives like "failed to achieve" or "did not accomplish".

Can "miserably missed" be used to describe a person?

While less common, "miserably missed" could describe a person's failure, but it's typically used for opportunities or targets. To describe a person, consider phrases like "failed miserably" or "disappointed greatly".