1
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
a suitably dismal setting for a haunted house
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in depressing
causing unhappiness
the dismal failure of our hopes for the championship
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3
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory
the quarterback's dismal performance suggested that he had not fully recovered from his recent injury
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dismal
So with the national team in dismal form a year before the World Cup returns to the U.S. for the first time in 32 years, this is probably not the best time for the active leader in goals and caps to be asking out of the lineup.
—
Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025
That’s the Rockies’ historically dismal record after a 3-1 loss to the Cubs on Monday afternoon at windy Wrigley Field.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 26 May 2025
Baltimore's pitching staff has been a disaster, and even the club's talented young core of position players has underperformed.
Baltimore has already fired Brandon Hyde, who won AL Manager of the Year just two years ago, and the club's playoff odds entering Saturday sat at a dismal 1.6%.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 May 2025
Amrum Amrum Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival Turkish-German filmmaker Fatih Akin has made great films (the 2004 rock’n’roll redemption parable Head-On) and dismal ones (the grim serial-killer creepout The Golden Glove, from 2019).
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dismal
Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025
That’s the Rockies’ historically dismal record after a 3-1 loss to the Cubs on Monday afternoon at windy Wrigley Field.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 26 May 2025
Baltimore's pitching staff has been a disaster, and even the club's talented young core of position players has underperformed.
Baltimore has already fired Brandon Hyde, who won AL Manager of the Year just two years ago, and the club's playoff odds entering Saturday sat at a dismal 1.6%.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 May 2025
Amrum Amrum Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival Turkish-German filmmaker Fatih Akin has made great films (the 2004 rock’n’roll redemption parable Head-On) and dismal ones (the grim serial-killer creepout The Golden Glove, from 2019).
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dismal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dismal
Adjective
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The somewhat bleak outlook was laid bare Tuesday night after the USMNT was thrashed 4-0 by Switzerland during a friendly in Nashville.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
11 June 2025
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Instead of learning from this bleak recent history, Americans are now painfully absorbing this lesson by repeating it.—
Jonathan Haskel,
Foreign Affairs,
10 June 2025
Adjective
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All that matters is whether Dance Mom, a character designed in a lab to be a depressing punchline, pulls in just enough of the always-online demo to boost their numbers among younger viewers.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
30 May 2025
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Music was a way to showcase something that wasn’t depressing.—
Ramin Setoodeh,
Variety,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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And these are the same Oilers who, after a terrible 6-1 loss in Game 3 to the Panthers, overcame a three-goal deficit in Game 4 to even the series.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
15 June 2025
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Outside of getting to play a grand slam event in his backyard, Thomas has been downright terrible in the sport's four biggest tournaments.—
Gerrit Ritt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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Named for the distinctive dark stripes running across the back of its head, this medium-sized goose is specially adapted for one of the most extreme migrations in the animal kingdom.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
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White, pale blue, gray, and green swimsuits can be some of the hardest swimsuits to spot in a pool, while darker colors, like navy and black, can be difficult to detect in open water.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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Banks: There’s a reason why the theater [symbol] is a happy face/sad face.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2025
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To some, this may sound bizarre, laughable, or even just plain sad.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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Even with the horrible start the Red Sox still nearly came all the way back, twice drawing to within one run, but the club couldn’t get over the hump.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2025
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Even on a horrible team, someone has to score, get rebounds and assists.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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The somber financial picture leaves the city caught between cutting services to the public and finding a way to raise money.—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
5 June 2025
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The incident caused a somber scene near home plate, as Yankees teammates, coaches and personnel huddled around the always-affable 26-year-old before an ambulance took him off the field and to a nearby hospital.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Anyone who tells you different is a liar (and pathetic, and alone in life).—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
30 May 2025
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The politicized fantasy and horror films by Ryan Coogler and Jordan Peele are merely pathetic.—
Armond White,
National Review,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dismal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dismal. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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