dismal

American  

[diz-muhl] / ˈdɪz məl /

adjective

1. causing gloom or dejection; gloomy; dreary; cheerless; melancholy.

   dismal weather.

   Antonyms:

   gay, cheerful

2. characterized by ineptness or lack of skill, competence, effectiveness, imagination, or interest; pitiful.

   Our team played a dismal game.

   Synonyms:

   dreadful, abysmal, hopeless

3. Obsolete.

   1. disastrous; calamitous.

   2. unlucky; sinister.

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noun

1. Southern U.S. a tract of swampy land, usually along the coast.

dismal British  

/ ˈdɪzməl /

adjective

1. causing gloom or depression

2. causing dismay or terror

3. of poor quality or a low standard; feeble

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Other Word Forms

• dismality
  noun
• dismalness
  noun
• dismally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of dismal

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English dismale “unlucky time,” dismol day one of two days in each month considered unlucky (hence later taken as adjective), from Anglo-French dis mal, from Medieval Latin diēs malī, literally, “evil days”; cf. diary ( def. ), mal- ( def. )

Explanation

Dismal is a dreary, depressing sort of bad. "With the cold rain and their team behind by six field goals, the mood in the stands was so dismal even the cheerleaders had lost their 'Rah.'" Dismal comes from the Latin dies mali which means "bad days." There is a hopelessness implied in the word. If you fell on the way to school and cut your knee, it would be bad, but not dismal. If you fell into a giant mud puddle and had to wear dirty, crusty clothes until you got home, it might make the school day seem pretty dismal.

Example Sentences

Few could have imagined the Paraguayans delivering such an upset two weeks ago, when they opened their campaign with a dismal 4-1 defeat to the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026

In the same way a dismal class performance on a business school exam will still yield some A’s, curves also apply in the stock market when a company’s results aren’t necessarily jumping off the page.

From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026

“If there’s anything that I can pull from this dismal gray moment in history, it’s the hope that, for our culture and our celebrations, this revives us.”

From Salon • Jun. 19, 2026

If the New York Knicks—the most dismal, down-and-out franchise of the past half-century—were going to win their first NBA championship since 1973, it would require a zillion things to break just right.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026

Werfel’s neighbor called out to him, “On your way to embarrass yourself at court, you dismal little toad?”

From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin

Related Words

• depressing
• dim
• discouraging
• disheartening
• dull
• ghastly
• horrible
• horrid
• miserable
• murky
• sad