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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Because of those agreements, some labor leaders decided to postpone negotiations that were scheduled to start this year until 2027, due to the dismal budget conditions.
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William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Team owner and president Michael Bidwill on Monday fired Gannon, the team announced, after a dismal season in which the Cardinals suffered a Week 5 home loss to the lowly Tennessee Titans and never recovered.
—Doug Haller, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
The number exiting is nearly on par with 2018, a dismal midterm year for the GOP.
—Sudiksha Kochi, The Hill, 2 Jan. 2026
Everything’s dismal for a lot of people but thankfully that doesn’t affect me.
—Meghana Indurti, New Yorker, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dismal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dismal
Adjective
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Her family later learned that on April 23, 2021 — the day Parker found his aunt in a bleak mood — Dee had an angry confrontation over financial issues with two employees of the trucking company.—
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Some of Tarr’s most memorable scenes feature landscapes, often bleak and despairing settings of decaying Hungarian towns, punctuated with close-ups of characters’ faces.—
Adjective
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In the story, there is a lot of comedy that naturally arises from tragic moments, from dark, depressing moments.—
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This is par for the course, because conversations are confusing, even depressing.—
Adjective
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The groundbreaking research penetrated the last moments of the young nobleman, who suffered a terrible 26 blows.—
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History is full of cases where great bands make terrible records, yet history stands speechless at what the Clash accomplished here.—
Adjective
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Don't feel afraid to play with bold (but dark) colors and various materials.—
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Open my soul to the vast dark places.—
Adjective
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In Democratic cities, people demand 38 meetings and three dozen environmental assessments before tearing down a crack den to build a nursery for sad orphans.—
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Although there are infinitely many happy numbers there are also infinitely many sad ones.—
Adjective
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Are there horrible smells wafting around?—
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Jimmy Kimmel was horrible, and some of these people.—
Adjective
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With so many comedy writers on the bill, the Broder tribute was no somber affair.—
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As is tradition, all the women were dressed in black ensembles to mark the somber occasion, which commemorates members of the military from Britain and the Commonwealth who have died in battle.—
Adjective
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Add the pathetic reality that Illinois is the very definition of unfriendliness for business development and job creation, and the only thing Pritzker and his accomplices can campaign on is the vilification of Trump, facts be damned.—
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There are solutions to Joe Biden’s failing and pathetic attempts to raise money to build a presidential library.—
Cite this Entry
“Dismal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dismal. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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