bleak

adjective

ˈblēk How to pronounce bleak (audio)
bleaker; bleakest
Synonyms of bleak
1
: exposed and barren and often windswept
a bleak landscape
bleak soils
2
: cold, raw
a bleak November evening
3
a
: lacking in warmth, life, or kindliness : grim
a bleak prison documentary
b
: not hopeful or encouraging : depressing
a bleak prognosis
a bleak outlook
the future looks bleak
c
: severely simple or austere
a bleak hotel room
bleakly adverb
bleakness noun

Synonyms of bleak

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dismal, dreary, bleak, gloomy, cheerless, desolate mean devoid of cheer or comfort.

dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

Examples of bleak in a Sentence

a bleak outlook for the team for the rest of the season it was a dark and bleak wintry day
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Under Sorrells, morale at the office is bleak and has resulted in an exodus, according to two veteran prosecutors who left the office and spoke on the condition they not be identified. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026 France avoided a credit downgrade from Moody’s, but the ratings agency painted a bleak picture of the eurozone’s second-largest economy that highlighted the risks from its intractable politics. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026 Yet missing from this bleak picture are the ways that Ukraine has already adapted to escalating attacks. — Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026 As the bleak second law of thermodynamics states, entropy always increases over time in a closed system. — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bleak

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bleke pale; probably akin to Old English blāc

First Known Use

1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bleak was in 1574

Rhymes for bleak

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Browse Nearby Words

bleach-out process
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bleakly
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Cite this Entry

“Bleak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bleak. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

bleak

adjective
ˈblēk How to pronounce bleak (audio)
1
: open to wind or weather
a bleak coast
2
: cold entry 1 sense 1, raw
a bleak November evening
3
: dreary, cheerless
the future looks bleak
4
: very plain
bleakly adverb
bleakness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on bleak

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bleak

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