The word dismal has appeared in 162 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on March 25 in “Why Californians Have Been Saving Less Water in 2022” by Soumya Karlamangla:

The latest figures on California’s water conservation are in, and they’re pretty dismal.

Despite calls to reduce consumption during our punishing drought, Californians used 2.6 percent more water in January compared with the same month in 2020, according to state data. The figures for February and March are unlikely to be much better.

Daily Word Challenge

Can you correctly use the word dismal in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how dismal can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

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Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.