What is another word for dismal?
681 synonyms found
Pronunciation:
[ dˈɪzməl], [ dˈɪzməl], [ d_ˈɪ_z_m_ə_l]
Dismal is a word that is often used to describe something that is gloomy, depressing, or miserable. However, there are many synonyms that can be used to convey a similar meaning. Some synonyms for the word dismal include bleak, dark, dreary, somber, desolate, forlorn, and melancholy. Other synonyms might include disheartening, discouraging, or dispiriting, which all suggest a sense of hopelessness or despair. Regardless of the synonym used, the underlying connotation is that of a negative or dismal situation that is likely to leave one feeling sad or down. Choosing the best synonym depends on the specific context, tone, and desired effect of the writing.
Table of Contents
Similar words for dismal:
- black (adjective)
- blue (adjective)
- dark (adjective)
- dejected (adjective)
- depressing (adjective)
- desolate (adjective)
- doleful (adjective)
- dull (adjective)
- funereal (adjective)
- hopeless (adjective)
- lugubrious (adjective)
- overcast (adjective)
- pitiful (adjective)
- sorry (adjective)
- sullen (adjective)
- woebegone (adjective)
- all (adjective)
- bleak (adjective)
- bleak, dreary, gloomy (adjective)
- cheerless (adjective)
- chill (adjective)
- cloudy (adjective)
- dire (adjective)
- discouraging (adjective)
- dispiriting (adjective)
- dour (adjective)
- drab (adjective)
- dreary (adjective)
- dusky (adjective)
- fed up (adjective)
- gaunt (adjective)
- gloomy (adjective)
- godforsaken (adjective)
- grievous (adjective)
- heavy (adjective)
- joyless (adjective)
- melancholy (adjective)
- moody (adjective)
- murky (adjective)
- ominous (adjective)
- oppressive (adjective)
- ruthful (adjective)
- sad (adjective)
- somber (adjective)
- sulky (adjective)
- unhappy (adjective)
- uninteresting (adjective)
- wintry (adjective)
- dismal (noun)
- doleful
- foreboding
- forlorn
- funereal
- gloomy
- infernal
- melancholy
- mournful
- tedious
- other relevant words (adjective)
- other relevant words (noun)
Synonyms for Dismal:
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adj.
• black • blue • dark- black ,
- darkened ,
- dim ,
- gloomy ,
- inky ,
- obscure ,
- shaded ,
- shadowy ,
- shady ,
- silhouetted ,
- somber ,
- sooty ,
- sunless ,
- swarthy ,
- umbrageous ,
- unpropitious .
- bleak ,
- dispiriting ,
- de pressing ,
- de-pressing ,
- more daunting ,
- more saddening ,
- most daunting ,
- most saddening .
- abandoned ,
- acheronian ,
- bare ,
- barren ,
- desert ,
- deserted ,
- forgotten ,
- forlorn ,
- forsaken ,
- godforsaken ,
- inhospitable ,
- lonely ,
- miserable ,
- stark ,
- uninhabited ,
- in a blue funk .
- big yawn ,
- dun ,
- ho hum ,
- longwinded ,
- matte ,
- oft-repeated ,
- out of date ,
- run of the mill ,
- subfusc ,
- toned-down ,
- uninspiring ,
- unlit ,
- wornout ,
- hazy ,
- out-of-date ,
- prosy ,
- repetitious ,
- repetitive ,
- stocker ,
- usual thing .
- anguished ,
- depressed ,
- despairing ,
- desperate ,
- despondent ,
- discouraged ,
- disheartened ,
- dispirited ,
- downhearted ,
- glum ,
- hopeless ,
- morose ,
- pessimistic ,
- spiritless .
- dingy ,
- disconsolate ,
- dismal ,
- drab ,
- grim .
- dis heartening ,
- dis-heartening ,
- drearer ,
- drearest ,
- more disheartening ,
- more unpromising ,
- most disheartening ,
- most unpromising ,
- un promising ,
- un-promising .
- afflictive ,
- boring ,
- disagreeable ,
- doleful ,
- dolorous ,
- frowning ,
- ghastly ,
- gruesome ,
- horrible ,
- horrid ,
- inauspicious ,
- lonesome ,
- lowering ,
- monotonous ,
- morbid ,
- overcast ,
- sad ,
- sorrowful ,
- tedious ,
- tenebrous ,
- troublesome .
- draggier ,
- draggiest ,
- in dumps ,
- in the dumps ,
- jarring ,
- mopey ,
- mopier ,
- mopiest ,
- more dejecting ,
- more drearisome ,
- most dejecting ,
- most drearisome ,
- un comfortable ,
- un-comfortable .
- in different ,
- in-different ,
- more uncompanionable ,
- more ungenial ,
- more unwelcoming ,
- most uncompanionable ,
- most ungenial ,
- most unwelcoming ,
- re served ,
- re-served ,
- solitary ,
- un companionable ,
- un emotional ,
- un genial ,
- un responsive ,
- un welcoming ,
- un-companionable ,
- un-emotional ,
- un-genial ,
- un-responsive ,
- un-welcoming ,
- with drawn ,
- with-drawn .
- emulsified ,
- in definite ,
- in distinct ,
- in-definite ,
- in-distinct ,
- mis tier ,
- mis-tier ,
- misty ,
- more blurred ,
- more emulsified ,
- more nontranslucent ,
- more nontransparent ,
- more nubilous ,
- most blurred ,
- most emulsified ,
- most nontranslucent ,
- most nontransparent ,
- most nubilous ,
- mucky ,
- mushy ,
- non translucent ,
- non transparent ,
- non-translucent ,
- nontransparent ,
- opaque .
- more oppressing ,
- more scowling ,
- most oppressing ,
- most scowling ,
- portentous ,
- re doubtable ,
- re-doubtable ,
- ruinous ,
- un fortunate ,
- un-fortunate .
- dis advantageous ,
- dis appointing ,
- dis maying ,
- dis-advantageous ,
- dis-appointing ,
- dis-maying ,
- in opportune ,
- in-opportune ,
- more dampening ,
- more dismaying ,
- more dissuading ,
- more hindering ,
- more off putting ,
- more off-putting ,
- more offputting ,
- more repressing ,
- most dampening ,
- most dismaying ,
- most dissuading ,
- most hindering ,
- most off putting ,
- most off-putting ,
- most offputting ,
- most repressing ,
- off putting ,
- offputting ,
- re pressing ,
- re-pressing ,
- un favorable ,
- un-favorable .
- forbidding ,
- most crabbed ,
- un friendlier ,
- un friendliest ,
- un-friendlier ,
- un-friendliest ,
- un-friendly .
- more characterless ,
- more lusterless ,
- more subfuse ,
- more zero ,
- most characterless ,
- most lusterless ,
- most subfuse ,
- most zero ,
- sub fuse ,
- sub-fuse ,
- un changing ,
- un inspired ,
- un-changing ,
- un-inspired .
- dark complexioned ,
- darkcomplexioned ,
- more adusk ,
- more crepuscular ,
- more dark complexioned ,
- more dark-complexioned ,
- more darkcomplexioned ,
- more darkish ,
- more lightless ,
- more twilight ,
- more twilit ,
- more unilluminated ,
- most adusk ,
- most brunette ,
- most crepuscular ,
- most dark complexioned ,
- most dark-complexioned ,
- most darkcomplexioned ,
- most darkish ,
- most lightless ,
- most twilight ,
- most twilit ,
- most unilluminated ,
- swart ,
- swarter ,
- swartest ,
- un illuminated ,
- un-illuminated .
- dis contented ,
- dis satisfied ,
- dis-contented ,
- dis-satisfied ,
- more sated ,
- more satiated ,
- more surfeited ,
- most discontented ,
- most sated ,
- most satiated ,
- most surfeited ,
- sated ,
- satiated ,
- sick tired .
- like a bag bones ,
- like bag bones ,
- like bag of bones ,
- more attenuated ,
- more pinched ,
- more skeleton ,
- most attenuated ,
- most pinched ,
- most skeleton ,
- peakier ,
- peakiest ,
- scraggier ,
- skin bones .
- more acherontic ,
- more chapfallen ,
- more mirthless ,
- more moping ,
- more overclouded ,
- most acherontic ,
- most chapfallen ,
- most mirthless ,
- most moping ,
- most overclouded ,
- over clouded ,
- over-clouded .
- dis quieting ,
- dis-quieting ,
- egregious ,
- heart rending ,
- in tolerable ,
- in-tolerable ,
- more afflicting ,
- more heart rending ,
- more heart-rending ,
- more wounding ,
- most afflicting ,
- most heart rending ,
- most heart-rending ,
- most wounding ,
- un bearable ,
- un-bearable ,
- up setting ,
- up-setting .
- ill humored ,
- ill tempered ,
- ill-humored ,
- illhumored ,
- illtempered ,
- in huff ,
- introspective ,
- more ill humored ,
- more ill-humored ,
- more illhumored ,
- more piqued ,
- more splenetic ,
- most ill humored ,
- most ill-humored ,
- most illhumored ,
- most piqued ,
- most splenetic ,
- out sorts ,
- short tempered ,
- shorttempered ,
- splenetic .
- dusk ,
- dusker ,
- duskest ,
- more darkened ,
- more glowering ,
- most darkened ,
- most glowering ,
- un clean ,
- un cleaner ,
- un cleanest ,
- un-cleaner ,
- un-cleanest .
- Ill-boding ,
- ill boding ,
- ill fated ,
- illboding ,
- illfated ,
- in auspicious ,
- in hospitable ,
- in-auspicious ,
- in-hospitable ,
- more doomful ,
- more malefic ,
- more malificent ,
- more precursive ,
- more premonitory ,
- more presaging ,
- most doomful ,
- most malefic ,
- most malificent ,
- most precursive ,
- most premonitory ,
- most presaging ,
- pre cursive ,
- pre monitory ,
- pre-cursive ,
- pre-monitory ,
- un luckier ,
- un luckiest ,
- un lucky ,
- un-luckier ,
- un-luckiest ,
- un-lucky .
- Over-bearing ,
- ex acting ,
- ex-acting ,
- heavy handed ,
- heavyhanded ,
- in human ,
- in-human ,
- more confining ,
- more headache ,
- more ironhanded ,
- more superincumbent ,
- most confining ,
- most headache ,
- most ironhanded ,
- most superincumbent ,
- over bearing ,
- super incumbent ,
- super-incumbent ,
- un just ,
- un juster ,
- un justest ,
- un-just ,
- un-juster ,
- un-justest .
- be reaved ,
- be-reaved ,
- dis composing ,
- dis-composing ,
- grief stricken ,
- heartsick ,
- in grief ,
- more bereaved ,
- more discomposing ,
- more grieved ,
- most bereaved ,
- most discomposing ,
- most grieved ,
- sick heart ,
- tear jerking ,
- tearjerking ,
- un satisfactory ,
- un-satisfactory .
- more brooding ,
- more pouting ,
- more sourpussed ,
- more sulking ,
- most brooding ,
- most pouting ,
- most sourpussed ,
- most sulking ,
- poutier ,
- poutiest .
- heavy hearted ,
- long faced ,
- longfaced ,
- more bleeding ,
- more let down ,
- more let-down ,
- more letdown ,
- more long faced ,
- more long-faced ,
- more longfaced ,
- more ripped ,
- most bleeding ,
- most let down ,
- most let-down ,
- most letdown ,
- most long faced ,
- most long-faced ,
- most longfaced ,
- most ripped ,
- un happier ,
- un happiest ,
- un happy ,
- un-happier ,
- un-happiest ,
- un-happy .
-
n.
• dismal Other synonyms:
- affecting ,
- discouraging ,
- disheartening ,
- gut-wrenching ,
- lachrymose ,
- melting ,
- piteous ,
- pitiable ,
- poignant ,
- regrettable ,
- sadly ,
- shattering ,
- soul-destroying ,
- tenebrific ,
- unfortunate ,
- unhappy ,
- upsetting ,
- worsened .
- agonizing ,
- bittersweet ,
- dull ,
- oppressive ,
- painful ,
- sentimental ,
- touching ,
- tragic .
- bitter .
- hope .
Other relevant words:
- Doomful ,
- Drearisome ,
- Nubilous ,
- Precursive ,
- Uncompanionable ,
- acherontic ,
- adusk ,
- blue ,
- brumal ,
- chapfallen ,
- characterless ,
- cheerless ,
- chill ,
- cloudy ,
- crepuscular ,
- dark ,
- dark-complexioned ,
- darkish ,
- dejected ,
- depressing ,
- dire ,
- dour ,
- down and out ,
- down in dumps ,
- down in mouth ,
- draggy ,
- drear ,
- dreary ,
- dull as dishwater ,
- dusky ,
- fed up ,
- gaunt ,
- griefstricken ,
- have the blahs ,
- head ache ,
- heart-rending ,
- hibernal ,
- hiemal ,
- icebox ,
- in a huff ,
- in blue funk ,
- in doldrums ,
- in low spirits ,
- in pain ,
- in the doldrums ,
- ironhanded ,
- let-down ,
- lightless ,
- like a bag of bones ,
- long-faced ,
- lugubrious ,
- lusterless ,
- malefic ,
- malificent ,
- melancholy ,
- mirthless ,
- moody ,
- murky ,
- no nonsense ,
- non-transparent ,
- nontranslucent ,
- not clear ,
- nowhere ,
- off-putting ,
- overclouded ,
- peaky ,
- pitiful ,
- pouty ,
- premonitory ,
- roiled ,
- roily ,
- rough going ,
- scraggiest ,
- scraggy ,
- sick and tired ,
- sick at heart ,
- skin and bones ,
- smoggy ,
- sorry ,
- sourpussed ,
- subfuse ,
- sullen ,
- superincumbent ,
- three-dog night ,
- torn up ,
- twilit ,
- unenjoyable ,
- ungenial ,
- unilluminated ,
- unpromising ,
- unwelcoming ,
- up here ,
- up to here ,
- wintry .
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How to use "Dismal" in context?
If there was one word that came to mind when I thought of the gloomy winter days ahead it would have to be dismal. Even though I knew that the temperatures might not feel all that great, the lack of sunlight combined with the overcast sky made for a rather dreary mood. Even the holiday decorations looked bleak in comparison to the celebratory feel that typically prevails during the winter. It was as if the entire world had sunken into a deep and depressing slump.
Paraphrases for Dismal:
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Equivalence
-
Independent
-
Adjective
bad, baleful, calamitous, daunting, deplorable, desperate, dim, disappointed, disastrous, disgraceful, dreadful, embarrassing, hopeless, horrendous, horrible, horrific, lousy, painful, parlous, pitiful, regrettable, sinister, sobering, stark, terrible, woeful, wretched.
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Adjective
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Other Related
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Adjective
abysmal, appalling, awful, dark, depressing, dire, disappointing, discouraging, disheartening, distressing, dull, frustrating, lamentable, miserable, murky, pathetic, poor, sad, saddening, sombre, sorrowful, tragic, unfortunate.
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Adjective
Homophones for Dismal:
Word of the Day
FEV
- Synonyms:
- bound bailiff.
