Charles Dickens
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The Evil History of Dismal
In late antiquity, certain days each month, called “Egyptian days,” were regarded as inauspicious, probably as a relic of ancient Egyptian belief. By the Middle Ages, people took them to be anniversaries of the Biblical plagues in Egypt. There were 24 such days per year, and in Anglo-French they were called collectively dismal (from Latin dies mali, “evil days”), and this word was borrowed into Middle English. In time the “evil days” sense was forgotten and dismal was simply taken to mean “disastrous.” The noun dismal, meaning “swamp,” goes back to the 1700s when the marshy region in Virginia and North Carolina was named the Great Dismal Swamp.
Synonyms of dismal
Examples of dismal in a Sentence
The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Indeed, many colleges and universities have been roiled by frequent antisemitic incidents, Title VI antisemitism investigations and dismal grades from antisemitism watchdogs.
—Debra Newman Kamin, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026
Pretty dismal return on investment.
—Larry Wilson, Oc Register, 23 May 2026
Adebayo made an All-Defensive team this year despite a dismal finish to the season for the Heat’s defense.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Dismal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dismal. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Middle English dismal "days marked on a calendar as unlucky," from early French (same meaning), from Latin dies mali, "evil days"
