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dismal

adjective
dis·​mal | \ ˈdiz-məl How to pronounce dismal (audio) \

Definition of dismal

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
Other Words from dismal Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym The Evil History of Dismal More Example Sentences Learn More about dismal

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Other Words from dismal

dismally \ ˈdiz-​mə-​lē How to pronounce dismally (audio) \ adverb
dismalness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for dismal

dismal, dreary, bleak, gloomy, cheerless, desolate mean devoid of cheer or comfort. dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess. dismal weather dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility. a dreary job bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten. the bleak years of the depression gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise. gloomy war news cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering. a drab and cheerless office desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect. a desolate outpost

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.

Examples of dismal in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

 Germany's recent economic data have been dismal, with industrial output dropping 5.2% in the year to June and business confidence hitting a seven-year low. — Geoffrey Smith, Fortune, "Are Fears of a German Recession Overblown? 5 Reasons Not to Worry—Yet," 30 Aug. 2019 Outside the hospital, the numbers are downright dismal. — John Keilman, chicagotribune.com, "Suffering cardiac arrest in Chicago used to be a near-certain death sentence. But in just a few years, the survival rate tripled. What happened?," 23 Aug. 2019 Importantly, the deceleration in investment has had significant knock-on effects on Britain’s productivity, which even before the referendum was dismal. — The Economist, "The chilling economic effects of Brexit uncertainty are intensifying," 15 Aug. 2019 But critics were not impressed: The film currently has a dismal 20 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and audiences also largely stayed away. — Lindsey Bahr, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Hobbs & Shaw’ repeats at No. 1 against slew of newcomers," 11 Aug. 2019 Thursday’s result: Fantasy Game sat a distant third early, moved within range on far turn, then came up completely empty in a dismal performance. — Los Angeles Times, "Racing! Next year’s dates are set … sort of," 23 Aug. 2019 Also on Wednesday, several Egyptian rights groups urged a U.N. agency to rule out Egypt as the host of its conference on torture because of the country’s dismal human rights record. — Washington Post, "Some Egyptian rights activists dismiss country’s new NGO law," 22 Aug. 2019 And here are three Lions position groups that must play better in this second game, after a dismal performance last week against New England in the opener. — Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Lions preseason score vs. Houston Texans: Live blog, updates," 17 Aug. 2019 Fittingly, those dismal biometric records went missing for decades, until they were located in a tea chest at the university’s zoology museum. — Christoph Irmscher, WSJ, "‘The Spirit of Inquiry’ Review: Inventing the Scientist," 28 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dismal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of dismal

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

History and Etymology for dismal

Middle English, from dismal, noun, days marked as unlucky in medieval calendars, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin dies mali, literally, evil days

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