mindmap root((无欢)) dismal may imply extreme gloominess or somberness that is utterly depressing: a ~ day of unrelenting rain. dreary implies a sustained gloom, dullness, or tiresomeness that discourages or enervates: spent the whole day in the ~ apartment. cheerless stresses a pervasive, disheartening joylessness or hopelessness: faced a ~ life as a drudge. dispiriting implies a disheartening or lessening of morale or determination: the problems made for a ~ start for their new venture. bleak implies a chilly, dull barrenness that disheartens and lacks any notions of cheer, shelter, or comfort: a ~ windswept landscape offering no refuge for the wayward traveller. desolate implies that something disheartens by being utterly barren, lifeless, uninhabitable, or abandoned: the long trek into the country's ~ interior.