CHEERLESS Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'cheerless' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cheerless are bleak , desolate , dismal , dreary , and gloomy . While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering. // a drab and cheerless office

Q: When could 'bleak' be used to replace 'cheerless'?

The meanings of bleak and cheerless largely overlap; however, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten. // the bleak years of the depression

Q: Where would 'desolate' be a reasonable alternative to 'cheerless'?

In some situations, the words desolate and cheerless are roughly equivalent. However, desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect. // a desolate outpost

Q: When is it sensible to use 'dismal' instead of 'cheerless'?

While in some cases nearly identical to cheerless , dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess. // dismal weather

Q: When might 'dreary' be a better fit than 'cheerless'?

The synonyms dreary and cheerless are sometimes interchangeable, but dreary , often interchangeable with dismal , emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility. // a dreary job

Q: When is 'gloomy' a more appropriate choice than 'cheerless'?

While the synonyms gloomy and cheerless are close in meaning, gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise. // gloomy war news

cheerless

adjective

ˈchir-ləs

Definition of cheerless

as in bleak

causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer a dank and cheerless castle that was once the site of unspeakable horrors

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How does the adjective cheerless contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cheerless are bleak, desolate, dismal, dreary, and gloomy. While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

When could bleak be used to replace cheerless?

The meanings of bleak and cheerless largely overlap; however, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

Where would desolate be a reasonable alternative to cheerless?

In some situations, the words desolate and cheerless are roughly equivalent. However, desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

When is it sensible to use dismal instead of cheerless?

While in some cases nearly identical to cheerless, dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

When might dreary be a better fit than cheerless?

The synonyms dreary and cheerless are sometimes interchangeable, but dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

When is gloomy a more appropriate choice than cheerless?

While the synonyms gloomy and cheerless are close in meaning, gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of cheerless The storm let up before daybreak, but the morning was gray and cheerless with a cold wind. — Elwyn "bud" Myers, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 2026 Gomez gestured across the street toward 100 Centre Street—the criminal courthouse, a cheerless Art Deco building the color of cinder blocks. — Sarah Lustbader, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025 Election polls may seem cheerless, inscrutable, and wrapped in data and murky terminology. — W. Joseph Campbell, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024 Wedged between the cheerless skyscrapers of Third Avenue and an uncharming stretch of Second, just blocks north of the bro bars of Murray Hill, is a row of nine townhouses. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 2 Aug. 2024 Their lives had been expended in cheerless labor, there wills broken, their intelligences numbed. — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 5 July 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheerless

Adjective

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, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 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

Definition of bleak

Adjective

The daughter of a brass tree guest told me that on the last day, her mother pulled her aside and offered a somber warning.

— Kate Berlant, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Miller's new ad opens with a somber sequence of close-ups of various people's faces as the congressman talks about how divorce affects families.

— Lara Korte The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of somber

Adjective

In these situations, withdrawing into a literal or symbolic dark room—avoiding sources of stress and going to a safe place—can be adaptive in the short term.

— Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Connie Britton and Sam Nivola lead the series created by Nick Paley that blends mystery, dark comedy and the awkwardness of adolescence.

— Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of dark

Adjective

The spirituality throughout is imbued with a solemn reverence more Catholic than Baptist.

— Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
This production, solemn about our obligations to one another but committed to providing a good night out at the theater, is neither.

— Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of solemn

Browse Nearby Words

cheerleaders

cheerless

cheerlessly

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“Cheerless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheerless. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cheerless

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