Basic Details
Word: Dismal
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Gloomy and depressing; also very poor in quality.
Synonyms: gloomy, dreary, bleak, miserable
Antonyms: cheerful, bright, excellent
How to Spell Dismal
Syllables: dis - mal
Tricky part: The ending is al, not el or le. Students write dismel or dismle, and some double the s.
Watch out for: dismel, dismle, dissmal
Memory tip: Dismal ends like normal and animal: the last two letters are a-l.
Usage Examples
Example 1: It was a dismal, rainy afternoon, and nobody wanted to go out.
Example 2: My dismal marks in maths pushed me to find a tutor.
Example 3: The hostel room was small and dismal, with one dim bulb.
Fun Fact
Dismal comes from the medieval Latin dies mali, evil days. Old calendars marked two unlucky days in each month, and these were called the dismal days.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to dismal as used in the sentence:
After a dismal first half, the team came back strongly and won the match.
a) gloomy
b) poor
c) dreary
d) excellent
Show answer
d) excellent. A poor first half was followed by a strong second half; excellent is the reverse of dismal here.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The weather on the first day of our trip to Shimla was dismel, with low clouds, cold rain and a strong wind that rattled the windows of the hotel.
a) dismel
b) weather
c) clouds
d) rattled
Show answer
a) dismel. The ending is al, the same as in normal.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The factory's sales for the year were lasmid, so no one got a bonus.
a) dismiss
b) decimal
c) dismal
d) dismay
Show answer
c) dismal. Sales that earn nobody a bonus are dismal; dismay, dismiss and decimal do not fit the letters.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which weather would most people call dismal?
a) a cool clear evening
b) a bright winter day
c) grey skies and endless drizzle
d) a sunny spring morning
Show answer
c) grey skies and endless drizzle
2. Which word is closest in meaning to dismal?
a) gloomy
b) dismissal
c) distant
d) dizzy
Show answer
a) gloomy
