Qué es dismal? Qué es dismal? Causing gloom or depression; dreary: dismal weather; took a dismal view of the economy. Characterized by ineptitude, dullness, or a lack of merit: a dismal book; a dismal performance on the cello. Obsolete Dreadful; disastrous.Chiefly South Atlantic U.S. See pocosin. See Regional Note at pocosin.