Dismal

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈdɪzməl/

Definitions

1. Gloomy, depressing, or causing a mood of hopelessness and dreariness
2. Causing a sense of great sadness or gloominess that evokes feelings of discouragement and hopelessness in a situation or atmosphere
3. Producing an atmosphere of bleakness and low spirits

Etymology: The surprising part is that "dismal" began as a calendar term. In medieval Latin, "diēs malī" meant "bad days", and in Old French it became "dis mals", a phrase used for the unlucky days of the year, which medieval almanacs marked as unfavourable for undertaking business or other ventures. The phrase passed into Anglo-Norman and then into Middle English as "dismal", describing those days rather than any mood. The shift from calendar to feeling happened over time. Once "dismal" was a name for ill-omened days, it came to describe anything gloomy or wretched, and eventually the emotional sense of a person or place lacking all cheer. The modern meaning is thus a gradual move from a fixed date in the almanac to a state of mind.

Synonyms: gloomy, dreary, bleak, depressing, sad

Antonyms: cheerful, bright, happy, joyful, uplifting