dismal

adjective

ˈdiz-məl How to pronounce dismal (audio)
Definition of dismalnext
1
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer a suitably dismal setting for a haunted house

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in depressing
causing unhappiness the dismal failure of our hopes for the championship

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3
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory the quarterback's dismal performance suggested that he had not fully recovered from his recent injury

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 The results follow a dismal August nonfarm payrolls count. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025 The dismal August jobs report confirmed the labor market cooled significantly during the spring and summer. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025 The 2023 League Cup win broke a six-year trophy drought at the club, and the 2024 FA Cup win over Guardiola’s City likely earned him a stay of execution after a dismal eighth-place league finish. —Carl Anka, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025 The data from the Labor Department followed a similarly dismal jobs report for July that showed an average of just 35,000 jobs added to the economy each month between May and July. —Tobias Burns, The Hill, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dismal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dismal
  1. bleak
  2. depressing
  3. terrible
  4. dark
  5. sad
  6. horrible
  7. somber
  8. pathetic
Adjective
  • Yes, there are good reasons to question NASA's long-term plans for the Artemis lunar program—the woeful cost of the Space Launch System rocket, the complexity of new commercial landers, and a bleak budget outlook.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
  • That's rather bleak, while Charlie Sheen's life has just been bonkers.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • His relentless prepackaged positivity — even in the wake of depressing game day results — turned him into something of a punch line.
    — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The depressing effect of the seasonality is somewhat offset by the ‘5’ effect.
    — Bill Sarubbi, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Definition of depressing
Adjective
  • Overall, this wasn’t a terrible episode, but having our heroes start in the UK and then end up in Spain in the first episode felt rushed and wasteful.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Both men are good, both men are bad and both men have made terrible mistakes.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Interestingly, Lorraine has taught Judy to ward off her frightening visions by using a nursery rhyme, effectively teaching her to suppress her dark side.
    — Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The Dolphins wear white jerseys at home for afternoon games, forcing opponents to wear darker colors that absorb more heat.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Definition of dark
Adjective
  • But now, the King and the royal family have received very sad news that will change things going forward.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Shooting scenes in wide or medium shots that sometimes break into Hsiao-Lee’s harrowing point-of-view, cinematographer Yu Jing-Pin depicts a world without much color or hope, while sets by Huang Mei-Ching and Tu Shuo-Feng emphasize a sad and impoverished existence.
    — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • The horrible accident — later determined to be caused by pilot error — remains the deadliest plane crash in Charlotte history.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
  • But then came a horrible deep-ball attempt intended for Stefon Diggs that Isaiah Pola-Mao intercepted.
    — Steve Buckley, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • Chapple, the late Queen’s beekeeper, went first to Clarence House and then Buckingham Palace to perform his somber duty of telling the bees, a centuries-old custom of informing the bees when their owner has died.
    — Elizabeth Bass Parman, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • News voices in the 1970's tended to be somber, accent-less, and almost exclusively male.
    — Scott Simon, NPR, 6 Sep. 2025
Definition of somber
Adjective
  • The end of that era came slowly, through the pathetic collapse of Syria and Lebanon as functioning states, and then quickly, when Israel began touching Hezbollah in unexpected places.
    — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Want the poop on this pathetic history?
    — Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Definition of pathetic

Browse Nearby Words

disloyalty
dismal
dismally
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Cite this Entry

“Dismal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dismal. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

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