dismal

Other forms of dismal

comparative

dismaller·

superlative

dismallest·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about dismal

What does dismal mean?

dismal means "causing dejection".

How many syllables are in dismal?

dismal has 2 syllables: dis-mal. The stress falls on "dis". In IPA it is /ˈdɪzməl/.

What is another word for dismal?

Close synonyms include blue, dark, dingy, disconsolate, gloomy. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is dismal a common word?

dismal is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.