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dismal

dismal

5.8
A dark, gloomy place that makes people feel afraid or uncomfortable
  • noun
  • /ˈdɪzməl/
translation icon : lugar desolado
  • 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

  • You know, as, as people came out, they set up a, a table and they were selling popcorn and they were having dismal success.

  • You can also put in economics, often called the dismal science, right?

  • Actually, it premiered and was a dismal failure.

  • Pythias described Thuli as a dismal place, shrouded in fog and soaked by freezing rain, where the summer sun scarcely set.

  • The abandoned house at the end of the street became a dismal reminder of the neighborhood's better days.

  • Many consider the old factory a dismal site, filled with broken machinery and dark shadows.

  • On rainy days, the park feels like a dismal place, where few people dare to wander.

Synonyms

gloom
vsdismal
46 3.2

A feeling of sadness and low spirits

is more tied to gloomy places or to fear and discomfort
pall
vsdismal
8 8.0

A sad heavy feeling that hangs over a place

is more about a place or situation that also causes fear or discomfort
bleakness
vsdismal
3 6.3

A cold, empty feeling that makes a place or situation seem sad

shares emptiness but also emphasizes fear or discomfort in a situation
dreariness
vsdismal
1 6.2

A dull, gloomy feeling that makes things seem not interesting

adds a sense of gloom tied to fear or discomfort in places
sullenness
vsdismal
1 7.9

A quiet, gloomy mood that shows anger or hurt

is less personal and instead often describes places causing fear or unease
somberness
vsdismal
  • US
1 6.5

A serious, sad mood that feels quiet and heavy

is similar but more often describes places causing fear or unease
gloominess
vsdismal
1 3.4

A feeling of sadness and little hope felt by people or in a place

is more focused on physical places and feelings of fear or discomfort
moroseness
vsdismal
1 8.4

A gloomy, unfriendly mood that makes a person quiet and hard to approach

is broader, describing gloomy places or situations that create fear or discomfort
glumness
vsdismal
6.6

A quiet feeling of sadness and low spirits

applies more to environments that feel frightening or uncomfortable rather than personal mood
desolateness
vsdismal
7.5

A feeling of being very lonely and empty after loss

is similar but more about places that also cause fear or unease
disconsolateness
vsdismal
9.9

A deep sadness that nothing can comfort

is less intense emotionally and more about frightening or uncomfortable environments

Antonyms

314 1.0

Giving a gentle feeling of enjoyment

1 4.1

A rise of land, water, or air to a higher level

Compounds

dismal science
  • Literature
1 8.1

A study of how people use money and goods, often focusing on not having enough and hardship

How Gloomy

hopeless
133 2.7
dismal
5.8
bleak
16 4.9
gloomy
16 2.3

Surface Forms

dismal singular
dismals plural

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.