dismal

adjective

dis·mal ˈdiz-məl How to pronounce dismal (audio)

: showing or causing gloom (see gloom entry 2 sense 2) or depression

the dismal prison twilight

Charles Dickens

: lacking merit : particularly bad

a dismal performance

obsolete : disastrous, dreadful

dismally

ˈdiz-mə-lē How to pronounce dismal (audio)

adverb

dismalness noun

Did you know?

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.

Example Sentences

The show was a dismal failure. The team's record is dismal.

Recent Examples on the Web Market analysts have highlighted Netflix gaming’s dismal adoption rates, as reported on by a third-party app analytics company.

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

单词	dismally
释义	dismal adjective dis·mal ˈdiz-məl 1 : showing or causing gloom (see gloom entry 2 sense 2) or depression the dismal prison twilight Charles Dickens 2 : lacking merit : particularly bad a dismal performance 3 obsolete : disastrous, dreadful dismally ˈdiz-mə-lē adverb dismalness noun Did you know? 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 See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences The show was a dismal failure. The team's record is dismal. Recent Examples on the Web Market analysts have highlighted Netflix gaming’s dismal adoption rates, as reported on by a third-party app analytics company. 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 Etymology Middle English, from dismal, noun, days marked as unlucky in medieval calendars, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin dies mali, literally, evil days First Known Use 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3 Kids Definition dismal adjective dis·mal ˈdiz-məl : very gloomy dismal weather dismally adverb as in miserably Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance miserably drearily forlornly distressingly glumly joylessly abjectly morosely distressfully darkly pessimistically sullenly despairingly gloomily dourly blackly somberly dispiritedly mirthlessly cheerlessly dejectedly despondently disconsolately woefully sharply severely painfully harshly acutely bitterly wretchedly unhappily sadly downheartedly poignantly sorrowfully dolefully mournfully grievously keenly piercingly lugubriously agonizingly regretfully ruefully dolorously resentfully plaintively cruelly sorely inconsolably crestfallenly low-spiritedly hurtfully ill rancorously hard hardly wailfully Antonyms & Near Antonyms blissfully joyously joyfully happily cheerfully cheerily merrily gleefully delightedly sunnily indifferently gaily gayly gladly rejoicingly mirthfully well unconcernedly stoically lightly blithely impassively casually favorably easily lightheartedly dispassionately calmly nonchalantly good-naturedly blithesomely See More
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dismal

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

adjective

adverb