dismal

noun

(US, especially North Carolina, possibly dated) A dreary swamp in eastern North Carolina or Virginia in the United States.

adjective

Causing despair; gloomy and bleak.

Depressing, dreary, cheerless.

Disappointingly inadequate.

Disastrous, calamitous.

Roots

diesdis- · Latin · day malus-mal · Latin · bad, evil

Words related to dismal

drabadj cheerlesslyadv dismallyadv depressinglyadv disconsolatenessn disconsolationn glumadj dispiritingadj abysmaladj lugubriousnessn woefulnessn dumpishadj lacklusteradj disappointingadj pitifuladj bleaklyadv douradj dispiritinglyadv gloomn

Synonyms & related words for dismal

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of dismal — including dreary, gloomy, disconsolate, drear, grim, cheerless. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to dismal

Explore words related to dismal — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include drab, cheerlessly, dismally, depressingly, disconsolateness, disconsolation, glum, dispiriting. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for dismal

Common synonyms for dismal include dreary, gloomy, disconsolate, drear, grim, cheerless, bleak, woeful — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does dismal come from?

The word dismal breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: dis-, from Latin dies (“day”); and -mal, from Latin malus (“bad, evil”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.