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

• bleak
• depressing
• dark
• somber
• depressive
• darkening
• lonely
• desolate
• murky
• cold
• miserable
• grey
• gray

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

Examples of dismal in a Sentence

The show was a dismal failure.

The team's record is dismal.

Recent Examples on the Web

There was little the Washington Commanders could say (or would say) after a dismal 34-27 loss to the Atlanta Falcons that felt more lopsided than the score conveyed. —Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025

While the exact timing of the escape is unclear, detainees at the facility had faced off against guards over meager and dismal meals, unsanitary conditions and overcrowding that same day. —Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025

As for the Chiefs, Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report gave a couple of reasons for optimism despite their dismal start. —Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025

Moreover, the track record of predicting market downturns or financial collapses is pretty dismal. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 21 Sep. 2025

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

Rhymes for dismal

• abysmal
• baptismal
• aneurysmal
• paroxysmal

Kids Definition

dismal

adjective

dis·​mal ˈdiz-məl 

1

: very gloomy and depressing : dreary

dismal weather

2

: lacking in merit : particularly bad

a dismal performance

dismally

-mə-lē 

adverb

Etymology

Middle English dismal "days marked on a calendar as unlucky," from early French (same meaning), from Latin dies mali, "evil days"

Word Origin

At the time of the Roman Empire, certain days of each month, called "Egyptian days," were regarded as inauspicious. These days of ill omen were probably a relic of ancient Egyptian belief, but their source had been forgotten by the Middle Ages. People then took them to be anniversaries of the plagues visited on Egypt in Moses' time—though there were 24 Egyptian days in the year and only ten biblical plagues. In medieval French the Egyptian days were called collectively dismal (from Latin dies mali, "evil days"), and this word was borrowed into Middle English. Any day of the 24 was a dismal day, but the original sense "evil days" was forgotten, and dismal was simply taken as an adjective meaning "disastrous."