dismal — causing gloom or dejection; extremely bad or poor in quality
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: causing gloom or dejection; extremely bad or poor in quality
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈdɪzməl/
Example Sentences
- The company's dismal sales figures led to major layoffs.
- His cooking skills are so dismal that even the smoke detector applauds when he's done.
- My attempt at singing was so dismal that my neighbor's cat filed a noise complaint.
dismal
ADJECTIVE[/ˈdɪzməl/]
causing gloom or dejection; extremely bad or poor in quality
Looking out the window, the bright sunny morning had turned into a dark, dismal rainy afternoon.
DIS(away) + MAL(mall) — stepping DIS(away) from the bright, colorful MAL(mall), the street outside looked dark and dismal.
While his first test score was perfectly normal, his second score was a completely dismal failure.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Medieval Latin 'dies mali' meaning 'evil days,' referring to the two days in each month considered unlucky in medieval astrology. The term was adopted into Middle English and eventually evolved into the modern word 'dismal.'
Breakdown
dis- (bad/evil) + mal (bad, from Latin malus) = dismal (bad days, gloomy)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The company's dismal sales figures led to major layoffs.”
“His cooking skills are so dismal that even the smoke detector applauds when he's done.”
“My attempt at singing was so dismal that my neighbor's cat filed a noise complaint.”
“The student's dismal test scores worried his parents.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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