bleak
1 Americanadjective
-
bare, desolate, and often windswept.
a bleak plain.
-
cold and piercing; raw.
a bleak wind.
-
without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary.
a bleak future.
noun
adjective
-
exposed and barren; desolate
-
cold and raw
-
offering little hope or excitement; dismal
a bleak future
noun
Related Words
See austere.
Other Word Forms
- bleakish adjective
- bleakly adverb
- bleakness noun
Etymology
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These events aren’t illuminating and feel instead like a bleak betrayal.
From Los Angeles Times
Where some see a black comedy, others see horror and/or a bleak exploration of the pressures of motherhood — an increasingly popular subgenre referred to by some as “mum noir.”
From Los Angeles Times
The report painted a bleak picture in which Al inspires a race to the bottom in knowledge-based work, which would trigger a wave of unemployment.
From Barron's
Its elation masks the song’s bleak narrative: “Three a.m. it’s me again, wouldn’t you know / Things would have to end this way.”
But the prospect of playing in the Championship for the first time since 1977-78 remains a bleak possibility after just two wins in their last 18 league matches.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
