# dismal science

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/dismal-science
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Economics or the field of political economy.

## Examples

- My brother studies the dismal science at university.
- She writes a weekly column about the dismal science for the local newspaper.
- Do you think the dismal science can actually predict the next financial crisis?
- After reading the latest report on inflation, he joked that the dismal science is more confusing than ever.
- Many experts in the dismal science struggle to explain why consumer prices remain so high despite the recent changes in global trade.
- Politicians often rely on the dismal science to justify their new taxes, even when the public disagrees with the math.
- Although he initially pursued a degree in history, he eventually found himself drawn to the dismal science, fascinated by how market forces shape the rise and fall of nations.

## Origin

Coined by Thomas Carlyle in 1849, the term was conceived as a dry inversion of "gay science," a contemporary designation for poetry. Carlyle introduced the phrase to provide a stylistic counterpoint to the more lyrical arts, replacing the presumed levity of the poet with the perceived gloom of the economist.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.