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Dismal vs Calamitous - What's the difference?

dismal | calamitous | Related terms |

Dismal is a related term of calamitous.


As adjectives the difference between dismal and calamitous

is that dismal is disappointingly inadequate while calamitous is concerning or involving calamity, disastrous.

dismal

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Disappointingly inadequate.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012, date=April 22, author=Sam Sheringham, work=BBC Sport
    • , title= Liverpool 0-1 West Brom , passage=Liverpool's efforts thereafter had an air of desperation as their dismal 2012 league form continued.}}
  • Gloomy and bleak.
  • Depressing.
  • *, chapter=12
    • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=So, after a spell, he decided to make the best of it and shoved us into the front parlor. 'Twas a dismal sort of place, with hair wreaths, and wax fruit, and tin lambrekins, and land knows what all. It looked like a tomb and smelt pretty nigh as musty and dead-and-gone.}}

    Usage notes

    * Nouns to which "dismal" is often applied: failure, performance, state, record, place, result, scene, season, year, economy, future, fate, weather, news, condition, history.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * dismal science

    calamitous

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Concerning or involving calamity, disastrous.
  • :The city was struck by a calamitous cyclone.

    • Synonyms

    * destructive * fatal