Meaning & use
dismal
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Dark, cold or dull in a way that makes you feel low.
Grammar: Goes before a noun or after be: a dismal afternoon; the weather was dismal.
Patterns
- dismal weather
- a dismal place
It was a dismal Monday, with rain and a grey sky.
The waiting room was a dismal place with peeling paint.
We trudged through the dismal streets.
adjectivecomparable
Very bad in quality or level, and disappointing.
Grammar: Often describes results or performance: a dismal score.
Patterns
- a dismal failure
- a dismal record
The team had a dismal season, winning only two games.
Sales figures were dismal last quarter.
His attempt at cooking was a dismal failure.
adjectivecomparable
Hopeless or sad in mood.
Grammar: Describes feelings or outlooks: a dismal mood.
Patterns
- a dismal outlook
- feel dismal
The news left everyone in a dismal mood.
The doctor gave a dismal prognosis.
After the loss, the mood in the locker room was dismal.
Word forms
| comparative | more dismal |
|---|---|
| superlative | most dismal |
Common combinations
- dismal failure
- The launch was a dismal failure.
- dismal weather
- Dismal weather kept us indoors all week.
- dismal performance
- The actor's dismal performance drew boos.
- dismal prospects
- Graduates faced dismal job prospects.
- dismal record
- The club has a dismal record away from home.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gloomy
- Gloomy suits dark places or sad moods, while dismal adds the sense of being poor or disappointing.
- dreary
- Dreary stresses boring dullness, whereas dismal suggests something more depressing.
- dreadful
- Dreadful just means very bad and has no sense of darkness or sadness.
- bleak
- Bleak implies a barren, hopeless view of the future, a bit starker than dismal.
Opposites
Word family
- dismally adverb
- in a dismal way, often failing dismally
- dismalness noun
- the quality of being dismal
- dismals noun
- a rare old plural meaning low spirits
Commonly confused: dismal or dismay?
dismal vs dismay
Dismay is a noun or verb for shock and distress, not an adjective for gloomy things.
Practice
The company's results were ____, with losses in every region.
Choose one answer.
Losses everywhere are very bad and disappointing, so dismal fits. Radiant and vibrant are positive, and modest would not describe heavy losses.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dismal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.