DISMAL Synonyms: 206 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'dismal' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of dismal are bleak , cheerless , desolate , dreary , and gloomy . While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess. // dismal weather

Q: When is it sensible to use 'bleak' instead of 'dismal'?

Although the words bleak and dismal have much in common, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten. // the bleak years of the depression

Q: When could 'cheerless' be used to replace 'dismal'?

In some situations, the words cheerless and dismal are roughly equivalent. However, cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering. // a drab and cheerless office

Q: When can 'desolate' be used instead of 'dismal'?

The words desolate and dismal can be used in similar contexts, but desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect. // a desolate outpost

Q: In what contexts can 'dreary' take the place of 'dismal'?

The synonyms dreary and dismal are sometimes interchangeable, but dreary , often interchangeable with dismal , emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility. // a dreary job

Q: When is 'gloomy' a more appropriate choice than 'dismal'?

While the synonyms gloomy and dismal are close in meaning, gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise. // gloomy war news

dismal

adjective

ˈdiz-məl

Definition of dismal

as in bleak

causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer a suitably dismal setting for a haunted house

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in depressing

causing unhappiness the dismal failure of our hopes for the championship

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in terrible

extremely unsatisfactory the quarterback's dismal performance suggested that he had not fully recovered from his recent injury

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective dismal contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of dismal are bleak, cheerless, desolate, dreary, and gloomy. While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

When is it sensible to use bleak instead of dismal?

Although the words bleak and dismal have much in common, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

When could cheerless be used to replace dismal?

In some situations, the words cheerless and dismal are roughly equivalent. However, cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

When can desolate be used instead of dismal?

The words desolate and dismal can be used in similar contexts, but desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

In what contexts can dreary take the place of dismal?

The synonyms dreary and dismal are sometimes interchangeable, but dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

When is gloomy a more appropriate choice than dismal?

While the synonyms gloomy and dismal are close in meaning, gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dismal Emphasis on the enough, especially after a dismal 2025 season that perhaps was further purged Sunday. — Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026 That dismal drive-time estimate checks out in Google Maps, but actually booking a Midnight hop from OAK to the Marina would be difficult because that upscale neighborhood last had an operating air facility in 1944. — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026 Horror audiences are also notoriously unpredictable, and a dismal CinemaScore doesn’t automatically guarantee an equally dismal theatrical run. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026 Critical response has been similarly dismal, with Other Mommy holding a 19 percent approval rating from reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a 46 percent audience score. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dismal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dismal

Adjective

Under Sorrells, morale at the office is bleak and has resulted in an exodus, according to two veteran prosecutors who left the office and spoke on the condition they not be identified.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
Yet missing from this bleak picture are the ways that Ukraine has already adapted to escalating attacks.

— Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of bleak

Adjective

Maybe the most vivid reminder was what happened after a similarly depressing defeat in 2021 in the last game in which Mahomes played and the Chiefs managed only a field goal.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
In another depressing week for the UK’s public broadcaster, there were more cuts, talk of even more cuts and programs scrapped, as the BBC’s desperate bid to make the books work continues under former Google EMEA chief Matt Brittin.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of depressing

Adjective

His teams are terrible just before halftime, having been outscored 107-6 in the coach's 24 games.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
If the purpose of buying a suit were merely obtaining clothing, three fittings would be terrible service.

— Anna van Praagh, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of terrible

Adjective

The ad is characteristic of the increasingly dark tone Hilton’s campaign has taken on in the home stretch.

— Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Netanyahu's supporters see him as a steady hand and a consummate statesman who has led Israel through a war of redemption after the country's darkest hour.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of dark

Adjective

State Drive, an ugly black roadway, separates the Science Center and its new addition from the park’s Rose Garden, and serves as a sad connector to the rest of the park.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
As more details came out, the sad truth of Perry’s relapses and drug hustle emerged.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of sad

Adjective

In most versions of the Greek mythology, Medusa is a beautiful woman that was cursed by the goddess Athena with a head of snakes instead of hair and the horrible ability to turn people to stone with just one look.

— Lynsey Eidell, Glamour, 26 Oct. 2026
The battle is between that horrible atmosphere and some of the horrific candidates that have been nominated by the Democratic Party.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of horrible

Adjective

The daughter of a brass tree guest told me that on the last day, her mother pulled her aside and offered a somber warning.

— Kate Berlant, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Miller's new ad opens with a somber sequence of close-ups of various people's faces as the congressman talks about how divorce affects families.

— Lara Korte The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of somber

Browse Nearby Words

disloyalty

dismal

dismally

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Dismal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dismal. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of dismal

adjective

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

shindig

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes