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View synonyms for bleak

bleak

1

[ bleek ]

adjective

, bleak·er, bleak·est.
  1. bare, desolate, and often windswept:

    a bleak plain.

  2. cold and piercing; raw:

    a bleak wind.

  3. without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary:

    a bleak future.



bleak

2

[ bleek ]

noun

  1. a European freshwater fish, Alburnus alburnus, having scales with a silvery pigment that is used in the production of artificial pearls.

bleak

1

/ bliːk /

noun

  1. any slender silvery European cyprinid fish of the genus Alburnus , esp A. lucidus , occurring in slow-flowing rivers
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


bleak

2

/ bliːk /

adjective

  1. exposed and barren; desolate
  2. cold and raw
  3. offering little hope or excitement; dismal

    a bleak future

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈbleakly, adverb
  • ˈbleakness, noun
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Other Words From

  • bleakish adjective
  • bleakly adverb
  • bleakness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of bleak1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bleke “pale,” blend of variants bleche ( Old English blǣc ) and blake ( Old English blāc ); both cognate with Old Norse bleikr, German bleich; akin to bleach

Origin of bleak2

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English bleke, noun use of bleke “pale”; bleak 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of bleak1

C15: probably from Old Norse bleikja white colour; related to Old High German bleiche bleach

Origin of bleak2

Old English blāc bright, pale; related to Old Norse bleikr white, Old High German bleih pale
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Synonym Study

See austere.
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Example Sentences

It was a bleak image of the future, with an urgent call to action — one that was more or less ignored by the federal government.

From Eater

The sports retailer, like many of its peers, was hit hard by the pandemic amid shutdowns and store closures, and even announced it would suspend its dividend when things were looking especially bleak in March.

From Fortune

Being true bulls, I’m sure none of you dumped your shares in late March as things looked their bleakest.

From Fortune

Remarkably, this bleak picture is more optimistic than the economists’ predictions in previous surveys.

In The End of Everything, theoretical astrophysicist Katie Mack provides a tour of the admittedly bleak possibilities.

Set among the vacant houses of suburban New Mexico, the film offers a bleak perspective on the possibility of growth and renewal.

Hitchcock saw the work of, and probably met, Murnau, the great German filmmaker--the earliest master of bleak light and shadow.

And surprisingly, gender may also play a role in your bleak winter outlook.

In the financing portion, the numbers are particularly bleak.

The Garfield specials are also unique for their deadpan delivery and oftentimes bleak worldview.

From half a block behind the man, Kip watched the messenger walk along side of the bleak walls of Tombs prison.

Around us rose the broken, straggling walls, bare and bleak, without a shred of ivy or wall-flower to hide their grim nakedness.

But there, the bleak look of what had once been full of peace and mother's love, struck cold on her heart.

Then at last, when the sun was near its setting and men finally felt a bleak wind biting, the Pope spoke again.

The land around Gallipoli on the European side of the straits is more bleak and more level.

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