dismal

[diz-muhl] / ˈdɪz məl /

ADJECTIVE

bleak, dreary, gloomy

Synonyms

STRONGEST

depressing dim discouraging disheartening dull ghastly horrible horrid miserable murky sad

WEAK

afflictive black boring cheerless cloudy dark depressed desolate despondent dingy disagreeable dispiriting doleful dolorous forlorn frowning funereal gruesome hopeless in the pits inauspicious joyless lonesome lowering lugubrious melancholy monotonous morbid oppressive overcast shadowy somber sorrowful tedious tenebrous troublesome unfortunate unhappy

Antonyms

STRONGEST

bright cheerful clear encouraging favorable happy intelligent joyful light luminous pleasant smart

WEAK

glad hopeful

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The 2025 box office ended up reaching about $8.87 billion, just barely above 2024’s already dismal total.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Although the government shutdown subtracted about a percentage point of economic growth, the softer spending also contributed to the dismal 0.7% growth rate in inflation-adjusted gross domestic product.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

It wants to be wicked and outrageous but it’s really just dismal and depressing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

Stokes has not played since the end of England's dismal Ashes defeat.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

Within a quarter of an hour we came to Miss Havisham’s house, which was of old brick, and dismal, and had a great many iron bars to it.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

Vocabulary lists containing dismal

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Take the Bad with the Good: Bene and Mal

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

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