(形容词)阴沉的;凄凉的;令人沮丧的;很差的(常指天气、环境、前景或表现)。
/ˈdɪzməl/
The weather was dismal all day.
天气一整天都阴沉沉的。
Despite their efforts, the results were dismal, leaving the team discouraged about the project’s future.
尽管他们付出了努力,结果却很糟糕,这让团队对项目的未来感到沮丧。
“dismal”源自中古英语 dismal,最早与“凶日、不吉利的日子”有关,来自拉丁语 dies mali(字面意为“坏日子”)。后来词义逐渐从“不祥的日子”扩展为“阴郁、惨淡、令人沮丧的”整体氛围或状况。