bleak Hear it!

bleak1 definition

bleak (blēk)

adjective

  1. exposed to wind and cold; unsheltered; treeless; bare
  2. cold and cutting; harsh
  3. not cheerful; gloomy; dreary
  4. not promising or hopeful a bleak future
  5. Obsolete pale; wan

Etymology: ME bleik < ON bleikr, pale: see bleach

Related Forms:

bleak2 definition

bleak (blēk)

noun pl. bleak or bleaks

any of a genus (Alburnus) of small, slender European carp with silvery scales, an extract of which is used in making artificial pearls

Etymology: < ON bleikja < bleikr: see bleak

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

bleak Synonyms

bleak

modif.

  1. Applied to countryside or conditions

    dreary, desolate, bare, cheerless, wild, exposed, barren, blank, disheartening, weary, melancholy, lonely, flat, somber, grim, distressing, depressing, comfortless, hopeless, drear, joyless, uninviting, dull, sad, mournful, monotonous, waste, gloomy, dismal, unsheltered, windswept, treeless, frowning, blighted, blasted, unpopulated, desert, deserted, fog-hung, craggy, scorched, stony, burned (over), denuded, bombed, deforested, bulldozed, cleared, frozen.

    Antonyms verdant, green*, fruitful. *

  2. Applied to atmosphere

    chill, windy, stormy, boisterous, cold, piercing, cutting, wintry, keen, biting, icy, hiemal, shivery, boreal, bitter, rigorous, chilly, nipping, severe, raw, freezing, inclement, frosty, pinching, glacial, polar, arctic, sharp, harsh, dank, foul, murky, misty, foggy, brumous.

    Antonyms mild*, pleasant*, sunny.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

bleak Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • uniformly: Having stated that this is a more positive album for him, the lyrics are uniformly bleak.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • look: Your Price Furniture Is your garden looking a bit bleak and uninviting?

Modifies a noun

  • mid-winter: Saracens Feel The Bite A wet January afternoon in Watford really does go a long way to defining a bleak mid-winter 's day.

Used with adjective complement

  • look: Things are looking bleak for God's people who are seeking to be faithful.

Preposition: in

  • winter: No doubt it is also bleak in the winter.
bleak usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"bleak." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/bleak>

APA Style

bleak. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/bleak

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