adj. 1. Causing gloom or depression; dreary: dismal weather; took a dismal view of the economy. 2. Characterized by ineptitude, dullness, or a lack of merit: a dismal book; a dismal performance on the cello. 3. Obsolete Dreadful; disastrous. n. [Middle English, unlucky days, unlucky, from Anglo-Norman, unlucky days, from Medieval Latin diēs malī : Latin diēs, pl. of diēs, day; see dyeu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + Latin malī, pl. of malus, evil; see mel-3 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] dismal·ly adv. dismal·ness n. |
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