dismal
adjective
Charles Dickens 
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The Evil History of Dismal
In late antiquity, certain days each month, called “Egyptian days,” were regarded as inauspicious, probably as a relic of ancient Egyptian belief. By the Middle Ages, people took them to be anniversaries of the Biblical plagues in Egypt. There were 24 such days per year, and in Anglo-French they were called collectively dismal (from Latin dies mali, “evil days”), and this word was borrowed into Middle English. In time the “evil days” sense was forgotten and dismal was simply taken to mean “disastrous.” The noun dismal, meaning “swamp,” goes back to the 1700s when the marshy region in Virginia and North Carolina was named the Great Dismal Swamp.
Synonyms
- black
- bleak
- cheerless
- chill
- Cimmerian
- cloudy
- cold
- comfortless
- dark
- darkening
- depressing
- depressive
- desolate
- dire
- disconsolate
- drear
- dreary
- dreich [chiefly Scottish]
- elegiac
- elegiacal
- forlorn
- funereal
- gloomy
- glum
- godforsaken
- gray
- grey
- lonely
- lonesome
- lugubrious
- miserable
- morbid
- morose
- murky
- plutonian
- saturnine
- sepulchral
- solemn
- somber
- sombre
- sullen
- sunless
- tenebrific
- tenebrous
- wretched
Example Sentences
Shannon Liao, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022 The minerals required for those batteries also present an ethical problem, as many are mined in areas with dismal human-rights records. Bjorn Lomborg, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 The Sox are 4-12 against the Rays this season, putting their record against American League East opponents at a dismal 18-39. Julian Mcwilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2022 However, the dismal working conditions, 12-hour shifts, low pay, and paltry benefits are negatively impacting production at the Wharton plant by leading to serious difficulties in hiring and retaining workers. Cesar Moreira, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2022 Removing a dismal August from the equation, domestic revenue for May through July was $2.9 billion, a downturn of just 16.6 percent from the same period in 2019 ($3.49 billion). Pamela Mcclintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Sep. 2022 The dismal tide of synthetic opioids and amphetamines has penetrated Fort Bragg’s high-security gates, permeated through to the lowliest privates’ barracks, and caused at least a dozen overdose deaths in just the last year. Seth Harp, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2022 Bo Nix made some dismal throws that will stick with Ducks fans, notably the two first-half interceptions that killed any hope of the Ducks hanging with the Bulldogs. Bill Oram, oregonlive, 4 Sep. 2022 Shares of Snap took a major tumble last month, after the company reported dismal sales growth and warned investors that the economy had worsened at a faster pace than expected. Catherine Thorbecke, CNN, 31 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Middle English, from dismal, noun, days marked as unlucky in medieval calendars, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin dies mali, literally, evil days
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Kids Definition
dismal
adjective
dismal
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- bleak
- depressing
- dark
- darkening
- somber
- depressive
- desolate
- lonely
- murky
- miserable
- cold
- gray
- morbid
- gloomy
- wretched
- solemn
- lonesome
- dreary
- cheerless
- dire
- depressed
- blue
- glum
- black
- sad
- lugubrious
- drear
- forlorn
- disconsolate
- morose
- sullen
- godforsaken
- cloudy
- comfortless
- grey
- oppressive
- chill
- funereal
- sepulchral
- melancholy
- woeful
- elegiac
- saturnine
- sombre
- unhappy
- sunless
- tenebrous
- dreich
- plutonian
- grim
- woebegone
- elegiacal
- desperate
- dispiriting
- dull
- hopeless
- negative
- dim
- discouraging
- dejected
- dismaying
- tenebrific
- disheartening
- distressful
- low
- mournful
- lamentable
- mirthless
- pessimistic
- upsetting
- distressing
- melancholic
- down
- drab
- discomfiting
- hangdog
- sorrowful
- despondent
- inconsolable
- droopy
- menacing
- Cimmerian
- dour
- colorless
- plaintive
- threatening
- lowering
- lowery
- louring
- loury
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- bright
- cheerful
- cheery
- festive
- joyous
- sunshiny
- friendly
- comforting
- joyful
- optimistic
- buoyant
- jolly
- merry
- gay
- cordial
- blithe
- mirthful
- hopeful
- gay
- heartwarming
- encouraging
- cheering
- blithesome
- jocund
- lighthearted
- lightsome
Synonyms & Similar Words
- depressing
- sad
- pathetic
- unfortunate
- mournful
- dreary
- heartbreaking
- melancholy
- tearful
- disturbing
- saddening
- drear
- woeful
- lamentable
- teary
- deplorable
- distressful
- sorry
- heartrending
- disquieting
- distressing
- affecting
- dispiriting
- discouraging
- perturbing
- grievous
- moving
- disheartening
- discomforting
- touching
- poignant
- discomposing
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- cheery
- happy
- uplifting
- glad
- delightful
- inspiring
- pleasant
- heartening
- stimulating
- satisfying
- stirring
- enjoyable
- agreeable
- cheering
- welcome
- pleasurable
- exhilarating
- pleasing
- thrilling
- heartwarming
Synonyms & Similar Words
- horrible
- terrible
- awful
- poor
- wretched
- atrocious
- rotten
- lousy
- bad
- execrable
- defective
- inadequate
- sucky
- miserable
- flawed
- insufficient
- lacking
- shameful
- punk
- substandard
- mediocre
- deficient
- worthless
- contemptible
- inferior
- useless
- off
- faulty
- abominable
- reprehensible
- wanting
- damnable
- odious
- valueless
- vile
- bum
- low-grade
- second-rate
- fiendish
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- great
- marvellous
- marvelous
- wonderful
- excellent
- exceptional
- superior
- prime
- adequate
- satisfactory
- choice
- bitchin'
- acceptable
- sufficient
- premium
- first-rate
- first-class
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of dismal are bleak, cheerless, desolate, dreary, and gloomy. While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.
Although the words bleak and dismal have much in common, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.
In some situations, the words cheerless and dismal are roughly equivalent. However, cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.
The words desolate and dismal can be used in similar contexts, but desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.
The synonyms dreary and dismal are sometimes interchangeable, but dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.
While the synonyms gloomy and dismal are close in meaning, gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.