Standard Lemma guide

pessimal

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈpɛ.sɪ.məl/
  • /ˈpɛ.sə.məl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Bad to a maximal extent; worst.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

of an organism's environment; least favorable for survival

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pessimum(a)

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin pessimus (“worst”) + -al, modeled on optimal.