1
2
3

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective dismal contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of dismal are bleak, cheerless, desolate, dreary, and gloomy. While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

When is it sensible to use bleak instead of dismal?

Although the words bleak and dismal have much in common, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

When could cheerless be used to replace dismal?

In some situations, the words cheerless and dismal are roughly equivalent. However, cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

When can desolate be used instead of dismal?

The words desolate and dismal can be used in similar contexts, but desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

In what contexts can dreary take the place of dismal?

The synonyms dreary and dismal are sometimes interchangeable, but dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

When is gloomy a more appropriate choice than dismal?

While the synonyms gloomy and dismal are close in meaning, gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dismal Trending Today Two key stories on The Hill right now: Trump receives dismal ratings in NYT poll President Trump’s net approval is 12 points underwater in the latest NYT/Siena College poll. Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 25 Apr. 2025 This year is off to a dismal start as Musk’s political entanglements have pushed Tesla’s sales to a nearly three-year low in the first three months, leading a slew of Wall Street analysts to slash their growth expectations. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2025 Wall Street is off to another dismal start this trading week. Sarah Min, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2025 Aaron Gordon’s versatility: One pretty significant aspect of Denver’s dismal pick-and-roll defense in the first quarter was the unproductive space occupied by Nikola Jokic, who probably needed to be more aggressive at the level of the screen. Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dismal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dismal
Adjective
  • The observations from Drewry’s and Moody’s, as well as the scenario floated by McCown, follow a bleak outlook for the middle of May out of the biggest port in the U.S.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Complicating matters further is a bleak hydrological outlook.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • They are already relegated to the Championship with five games to play and could break club records after a desperately depressing campaign.
    Rob Tanner, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Editor’s picks An hour of episodic television is usually breech-birthed in a depressing Hollywood conference room filled with dyspeptic writers arguing over lines as the space fills up with the smell of fear, body odor, and Asian fusion takeout.
    Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • United have fallen massively and it’s been a terrible watch all season, bar a couple of highs.
    Andy Mitten, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Public interest in the film intensified after a stroke of terrible happenstance.
    Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • While the show’s tone is more bright and upbeat than its original sources, the scope of the musical has also been widened to reveal dark complexities in the world of the undocumented.
    Frank Rizzo, Variety, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Shows this dark need moments of beauty, and this episode provided those in spades.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Her story is beautiful and sad, heartwarming and devastating.
    American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 3 May 2025
  • If my random and unscientific survey of some French opinion at all represents the nation’s as a whole, then the debut of Donald Trump’s America has left some French triste — a bit sad, even brokenhearted, and also wary and vigilant.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2025
Adjective
  • One of our group hunted it on a rainy afternoon — traditionally a horrible time to bag a bird — and killed a 3-year-old tom. —A.M. Don’t Become Overly Reliant on Your Cameras Cameras aren’t magic.
    Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 1 May 2025
  • Big, wonderful, funny, horrible, strange, sad, great life.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • There's an eclectic mix of jazz, big sweeping orchestral pieces, high energy electric guitars, and quiet, somber piano tunes.
    Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
  • President Donald Trump is set to address the annual White House Easter Egg Roll hours after the death of Pope Francis, making for a somber backdrop for the light-hearted, kid-friendly affair.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Kenney-Silver delivers a touchingly nuanced performance as Anne, balanced on the fine line between sad as in devastated and sad as in pathetic.
    Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 1 May 2025
  • Marathon needs to be given every possible chance to succeed and making Bungie crunch to fix things and throwing it into the wolves as a fall release (one that’s literally on the same day as Borderlands 4, mind you) would be a pathetic excuse for support.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dismal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dismal. Accessed 9 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on dismal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!