What is the Latin word for dismal?

The usual Latin words for “dismal” are trīstis, moestus, miser; also miserābilis, lūctuōsus, fortūna. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“dismal” in Latin

trīstissad, unhappy, melancholy, morose; sorrowful, mournful; disagreeable, harsh, bitter (of taste)moestussad, unhappy; mournful, gloomy; stern, grim miserpoor, wretched, pitiful; miserable, unhappy; worthless, null miserābilispitiable, miserable, deplorable, lamentable, wretched, sad, pitiful, pathetic lūctuōsussorrowful, sad; lamentable, doleful, mournful fortūnafortune, luck; good fortune; misfortune (depending on context); destiny, fate aspiciōto look at, towards, or upon; behold, gaze at or upon; view, see, examine, survey, inspect, investigate; regard, respect exitiuma going out, egress; destruction, ruin; the cause of destruction or ruin subtrīstissomewhat sad or sorrowful pertrīstisvery sad, etc.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

dismal

tristis (sad, whose grief or sorrow aoout present evils is visible and impressed on his face): moestus (sad, melancholy; PROP., of persons, but also of things; Vid: also, SAD): miser (that excites compassion; e.g., situation, res; fate, fortuna; life, vita): miserabilis (miserable; e.g., aspect, sight, aspectus): luctuosus (sad, sorrowful; e.g., death, exitium): flelulis (that will draw forth tears): rather dismal, subtristis (rare; Terentianus): very dismal, pertristis; permoestus: to have a dismal countenance, vultu animi dolorem prae se ferre; vultu tristi or moesto esse: with a dismal countenance, moesto et conturbato vultu (Auct. ad Herenn.): dismal news, tristes nuncii: a dismal end, tristis exitus or eventus: dismal times, tempora misera, or dura, or iniqua; misera tempora et luctuosa (Cic.); temporum iniquitas, or gravitas, or calamitas. Vid. DARK, DREADFUL, etc.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for dismal?: The usual Latin words for “dismal” are trīstis, moestus, miser; also miserābilis, lūctuōsus, fortūna. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.