cheerless

[ cheer-lis ]

adjective

1. without cheer; joyless; gloomy:

   drab, cheerless surroundings.

cheerless

/ ˈtʃɪəlɪs /

adjective

1. dreary, gloomy, or pessimistic

Derived Forms

• ˈcheerlessly, adverb
• ˈcheerlessness, noun

Other Words From

• cheerless·ly adverb
• cheerless·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cheerless¹

First recorded in 1570–80; cheer + -less

Example Sentences

Cashiers at the supermarket knew them as a quiet, cheerless family that shopped several times a week.

From Seattle Times

Set in an especially cheerless pocket of Southern California, where high-voltage lines loom over the sparsely treed landscape, it opens in the summer.

From New York Times

“It’s nothing fancy,” the employer says, clearly believing otherwise, as the nanny’s smile fades in the gray, cheerless light.

From New York Times

It was a signature cartel threat demanding that debtors pay up or face a cheerless alternative — a shower of lead, i.e., bullets.

From Los Angeles Times

"The beer situation is very cheerless," said Anton, a 36-year-old IT expert who works for a state financial organisation in Moscow.

From Reuters