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dismal

dis·mal

dismal

 
 
pronunciation:
dIz ml
features:
Word Combinations (adjective), Word History, Word Explorer, Word Parts
part of speech: adjective
definition 1: cheerless or depressing; gloomy.
The room was dismal, with tiny windows, filthy curtains, and gray walls.She complained of the region's dismal climate.Visiting him in the field hospital was a dismal experience.
synonyms:
cheerless, dreary, gloomy, somber
antonyms:
cheerful, convivial, rosy
similar words:
black, bleak, dark, disconsolate, drab, funereal, grim, melancholy, miserable, moody, morose, sad, sullen, tenebrous
definition 2: pitiful, inept, or uninteresting.
His dismal joke was met only with quizzical looks.It was a chore to read such dismal essays.Their efforts resulted in dismal failure.
synonyms:
awful, miserable, uninteresting
similar words:
abysmal, boring, dreadful, inept, inferior, pitiful, terrible, weak
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derivations: dismally (adv.), dismalness (n.)
Word History
Dismal is from dies male, a Latin phrase that means "evil days." In medieval Britain, two days in each month were marked on the calendar as unlucky days.
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  happiness, sad
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