bleak

adjective

ˈblēk 

bleaker; bleakest

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

• black
• cheerless
• chill
• Cimmerian
• cloudy
• cold
• comfortless
• dark
• darkening
• depressing
• depressive
• desolate
• dire
• disconsolate
• dismal
• drear
• dreary
• dreich [chiefly Scottish]
• elegiac
• elegiacal
• forlorn
• funereal
• gloomy
• glum
• godforsaken
• gray
• grey
• lonely
• lonesome
• lugubrious
• miserable
• morbid
• morose
• murky
• plutonian
• saturnine
• sepulchral
• solemn
• somber
• sombre
• sullen
• sunless
• tenebrific
• tenebrous
• wretched

Choose the Right Synonym for bleak

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

Their story could have been told myriad ways and, if the current TV market had anything to say about it: the best way to tell any true crime is to be as bleak, haunting and gory as possible. —Ed Herro, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2024

In recent years, people have taken to social media arguing that, while the film might be visually appealing, its underlying message is bleak. —John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Dec. 2024

This bleak backdrop sets a high barrier for Disney to make a profit on the movie. —Caroline Reid, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

President Biden's post-presidency now looks as bleak as his brutal final months. —Axios, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bleke pale; probably akin to Old English blāc

First Known Use

1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bleak

adjective

ˈblēk 

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