Dismal Definition
dĭzməl
adjective
dismalest
Causing gloom or misery; depressing.
Webster's New World
Characterized by ineptitude, dullness, or a lack of merit.
A dismal book; a dismal performance on the cello.
American Heritage
Dark and gloomy; bleak; dreary.
Webster's New World
Depressed; miserable.
Webster's New World
Disappointingly inadequate.
He received a dismal compensation.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
Other Word Forms of Dismal
Adjective
Base Form:
dismal
Superlative:
dismalestOrigin of Dismal
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Middle English unlucky days, unlucky from Anglo-Norman unlucky days from Medieval Latin diēs malī Latin diēs pl. of diēs day dyeu- in Indo-European roots Latin malī pl. of malus evil mel-3 in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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From Anglo-Norman dismal, from Old French (li) dis mals (“(the) bad days”), from Medieval Latin diēs (“day”) mālī (“bad”).
From Wiktionary
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