dismal
1
5.8
- noun
- /ˈdɪzməl/
- For these fugitive slaves, known as maroons, facing the Dismal's heat, quicksand, bugs, snakes, and bears was a reasonable price for a chance at freedom and self-determination.
Examples
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You know, as, as people came out, they set up a, a table and they were selling popcorn and they were having dismal success.
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You can also put in economics, often called the dismal science, right?
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Actually, it premiered and was a dismal failure.
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Pythias described Thuli as a dismal place, shrouded in fog and soaked by freezing rain, where the summer sun scarcely set.
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The abandoned house at the end of the street became a dismal reminder of the neighborhood's better days.
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Many consider the old factory a dismal site, filled with broken machinery and dark shadows.
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On rainy days, the park feels like a dismal place, where few people dare to wander.
Synonyms
49
3.2
A feeling of sadness and low spirits
10
8.0
A sad heavy feeling that hangs over a place
3
6.3
A cold, empty feeling that makes a place or situation seem sad
1
6.2
A dull, gloomy feeling that makes things seem not interesting
1
7.9
A quiet, gloomy mood that shows anger or hurt
1
6.5
A serious, sad mood that feels quiet and heavy
1
3.4
A feeling of sadness and little hope felt by people or in a place
1
8.4
A gloomy, unfriendly mood that makes a person quiet and hard to approach
1
6.6
A quiet feeling of sadness and low spirits
1
7.5
A feeling of being very lonely and empty after loss
1
9.9
A deep sadness that nothing can comfort
Antonyms
Compounds
- Literature
1
8.1
A study of how people use money and goods, often focusing on not having enough and hardship
How Gloomy
Surface Forms
Etymology
Dismal as a noun came from the same Latin roots dies 'day' and malus 'bad' and was used for places people thought unlucky or frightening, like the Great Dismal Swamp. So calling a place 'the dismal' makes it sound gloomy and scary.