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DISMAL

[ diz-muhl ]show ipa

See synonyms for: dismaldismalsdismally on Thesaurus.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

adjective

 1. causing gloom or dejection; gloomy; dreary; cheerless; melancholy: dismal
    weather.

 2. characterized by ineptness or lack of skill, competence, effectiveness,
    imagination, or interest; pitiful: Our team played a dismal game.

 3. Obsolete.
    
    * disastrous; calamitous.
    
    * unlucky; sinister.

See more
noun

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

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Smithereens: Word of the Day



QUIZ
Jingle All The Way To Victory In This Holiday Song Lyrics Quiz
Deck the halls, spin the dreidel, and fa-la-la-la-la your way to triumph with
our holiday song lyrics quiz!
Question 1 of 22
Fill in the blank: O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, How _____________!
 * lonely are my branches
 * lovely are thy branches
 * fuzzy are nine branches

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT



ORIGIN OF DISMAL

1
1275–1325; Middle English dismale unlucky time, dismol day one of two days in
each month considered unlucky (hence later taken as adj.) <Anglo-French dis
mal<Medieval Latin diēs malī literally, evil days



OTHER WORDS FOR DISMAL

2 hopeless, abysmal, dreadful

See synonyms for dismal on Thesaurus.com



OPPOSITES FOR DISMAL

1 cheerful; gay

See antonyms for dismal on Thesaurus.com



OTHER WORDS FROM DISMAL

 * dis·mal·ly, adverb
 * dis·mal·ness, dis·mal·i·ty, noun




WORDS NEARBY DISMAL

 * dislocate
 * dislocation
 * dislodge
 * disloyal
 * disloyalty
 * dismal
 * dismal science
 * Dismal Swamp
 * dismantle
 * dismast
 * dismay

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, ©
Random House, Inc. 2023




WORDS RELATED TO DISMAL

 * depressing
 * dim
 * discouraging
 * disheartening
 * dull
 * ghastly
 * horrible
 * horrid
 * miserable
 * murky
 * sad
 * afflictive
 * black
 * boring
 * cheerless
 * cloudy
 * dark
 * desolate
 * despondent
 * dingy




HOW TO USE DISMAL IN A SENTENCE

 * Jakub Vrana's dismal turnover in the offensive zone led to the rush the
   opposite way — and the eventual game-winner.
   
   In the home of ‘The King,’ the Capitals get served with a second straight
   loss | Samantha Pell | February 5, 2021 | Washington Post

 * “I suppose my larger intention was to add some light, levity and beauty to an
   otherwise dismal year,” she said.
   
   It’s like a Little Free Library, but there’s art inside. People are flocking
   to it, tiny art in hand. | Cathy Free | January 19, 2021 | Washington Post

 * This apparent bet-hedging did not seem to go over well with investors, who
   were asked by Bakish to overlook the company’s dismal fourth-quarter earnings
   that included a net loss of $273 million.
   
   Change the channel: How ViacomCBS is managing the transition from linear TV
   to streaming | Tim Peterson | January 5, 2021 | Digiday

 * “We need cities to act with urgency so that we can start improving the very
   dismal housing supply we have now,” she said.
   
   Encinitas Wants to Exempt Itself From New State Density Law | Kara Grant |
   December 11, 2020 | Voice of San Diego

 * While King County Metro received some federal aid for short-term survival,
   its prospects in the longer term are dismal, with the agency projecting more
   than $600 million in lost revenues through 2022.
   
   COVID-19 Has Been 'Apocalyptic' for Public Transit. Will Congress Offer More
   Help? | Alejandro de la Garza | July 21, 2020 | Time

 * While it is sadly too late for Ms. Peña, there is hope beyond these dismal
   facts.
   
   Elizabeth Peña and the Truth About Alcoholic Women | Gabrielle Glaser |
   October 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

 * But there was still a paper to get out in Washington, and I went there late
   in the afternoon to tackle the dismal job.
   
   The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire | H.L. Mencken | October
   4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

 * GBM is a devastating diagnosis for a neurosurgeon to deliver to a patient and
   their family, one with a dismal outcome.
   
   Why Men May Be More Likely to Get Deadly Brain Cancer | Dr. Anand Veeravagu,
   MD, Tej Azad | August 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

 * It sounds like a dismal new episode of the new 24: Live Another Day.
   
   It’s Not Time to Worry About China’s Plague Just Yet | Kent Sepkowitz | July
   23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

 * Ryan McGarry M.D., director of the documentary Code Black, addresses the
   dismal state of urgent care.
   
   ‘Code Black’: An M.D. on How to Fix Our Emergency Room Crisis | Ryan McGarry
   | June 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

 * I need not inquire whether his dismal behaviour was natural or assumed.
   
   The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles Dickens

 * And when he did leave the dismal scene of this last act of his miseries, it
   was like the spectre of the man who had entered it.
   
   The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter

 * My railway life began on a drizzling dismal day in the early autumn.
   
   Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow

 * The light which discovered its dismal bounds to his solitary eyes, came from
   a small grated aperture in the vaulted roof.
   
   The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter

 * It was still in the verge of possibility that his son might seek his father
   in that dismal chamber.
   
   The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter

See More Examples


BRITISH DICTIONARY DEFINITIONS FOR DISMAL


dismal

/ (ˈdɪzməl) /



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

adjective

 1. causing gloom or depression

 2. causing dismay or terror

 3. of poor quality or a low standard; feeble

See more



ORIGIN OF DISMAL

1
C13: from dismal (noun) list of 24 unlucky days in the year, from Medieval Latin
diēs malī bad days, from Latin diēs day + malus bad



DERIVED FORMS OF DISMAL

 * dismally, adverb
 * dismalness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition ©
William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998,
2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word of the Day

smithereens
plural noun | smith-uh-reenz
See DefinitionNovember 26, 2023
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