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
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 Not all the trends are bleak, according to Paul Hughes, chief agricultural economist at S&P Global. 
Larry Edelman, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2022 The federal survey results for Bristol Bay king crab are bleak and crabbers have been warned that — for a second consecutive year — there may not be a fall harvest, according to Jamie Goen, executive director of the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers. Hal Bernton, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2022 For a time, the news was bleak as Osborne and staff tried to keep tabs on McKinzie and keep up his spirits. Scott Springer, The Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2022 Dolch said national figures are bleak, even with a favorable interest rate of just below 4%. Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 4 Sep. 2022 And its endgame is bleak in a way that seemed like a satisfyingly tidy reversal of the suburban clichés in which the show trafficked previously. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 2 Sep. 2022 Its broad product range—including plastics, fuels, lubricants, paints, battery materials, catalysts and nutrition products—also makes BASF an economic bellwether at a time when the outlook is bleak, particularly in its core European market. Rochelle Toplensky, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 Though the results of that project were bleak, Michael remains intrigued by his work, while Kate is clearly motivated by the money. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2022 And his predictions for the long-term fate of the Trumpified G.O.P. are bleak. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2022 See More
Larry Edelman, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2022 The federal survey results for Bristol Bay king crab are bleak and crabbers have been warned that — for a second consecutive year — there may not be a fall harvest, according to Jamie Goen, executive director of the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers. Hal Bernton, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2022 For a time, the news was bleak as Osborne and staff tried to keep tabs on McKinzie and keep up his spirits. Scott Springer, The Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2022 Dolch said national figures are bleak, even with a favorable interest rate of just below 4%. Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 4 Sep. 2022 And its endgame is bleak in a way that seemed like a satisfyingly tidy reversal of the suburban clichés in which the show trafficked previously. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 2 Sep. 2022 Its broad product range—including plastics, fuels, lubricants, paints, battery materials, catalysts and nutrition products—also makes BASF an economic bellwether at a time when the outlook is bleak, particularly in its core European market. Rochelle Toplensky, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 Though the results of that project were bleak, Michael remains intrigued by his work, while Kate is clearly motivated by the money. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2022 And his predictions for the long-term fate of the Trumpified G.O.P. are bleak. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2022 See More 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
bleaker; bleakest
1
: open to wind or weather
a bleak coast
2
: being cold and raw or cheerless
a bleak wind
a bleak landscape
3
: not hopeful or encouraging
The future looks bleak.
bleak
adjective
1
as in depressing
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer a bleak outlook for the team for the rest of the season Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- depressing
- somber
- dark
- desolate
- lonely
- darkening
- depressive
- murky
- cold
- morbid
- gray
- lonesome
- solemn
- gloomy
- miserable
- cheerless
- dismal
- depressed
- dreary
- dire
- glum
- morose
- black
- blue
- wretched
- sad
- drear
- sullen
- forlorn
- chill
- lugubrious
- disconsolate
- grey
- funereal
- cloudy
- godforsaken
- comfortless
- melancholy
- elegiac
- saturnine
- oppressive
- sepulchral
- sombre
- sunless
- grim
- tenebrous
- dreich
- plutonian
- desperate
- unhappy
- dull
- hopeless
- dim
- woebegone
- dejected
- melancholic
- elegiacal
- negative
- mournful
- dispiriting
- pessimistic
- mirthless
- discouraging
- woeful
- menacing
- distressful
- despondent
- upsetting
- discomfiting
- tenebrific
- dismaying
- disheartening
- Cimmerian
- distressing
- hangdog
- drab
- low
- sorrowful
- down
- dour
- inconsolable
- droopy
- lamentable
- plaintive
- colorless
- threatening
- louring
- lowery
- lowering
- loury
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- bright
- cheery
- cheerful
- festive
- comforting
- sunshiny
- friendly
- joyous
- optimistic
- joyful
- buoyant
- jolly
- merry
- gay
- cordial
- hopeful
- blithe
- mirthful
- gay
- heartwarming
- encouraging
- cheering
- blithesome
- lighthearted
- jocund
- lightsome
2
as in turbulent
marked by wet and windy conditions it was a dark and bleak wintry day Synonyms & Similar Words
- turbulent
- rainy
- snowy
- rough
- stormy
- inclement
- tempestuous
- dirty
- raw
- windswept
- nasty
- overcast
- murky
- misty
- squally
- hazy
- cloudy
- blustery
- foul
- breezy
- windblown
- foggy
- gusty
- blowy
- blustering
- sunless
- soupy
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- bright
- sunny
- clear
- cloudless
- fair
- sunshiny
- unclouded
- pleasant
- serene
- peaceful
- placid
- calm
- clement
- rainless
- balmy
- halcyon
3
as in chilly
uncomfortably cool a bleak December morning Synonyms & Similar Words
- chilly
- chilling
- bitter
- chill
- cold
- frigid
- icy
- brisk
- freezing
- raw
- sharp
- crisp
- arctic
- nippy
- wintry
- invigorating
- bracing
- frosty
- shivery
- nipping
- glacial
- wintery
- rigorous
- frozen
- polar
- coolish
- numbing
- snappy
- subzero
- subfreezing
- unheated
- ice-cold
- frosted
- iced
- frore
- refrigerated
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- warm
- balmy
- tepid
- lukewarm
- heated
- warmed
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of bleak are cheerless, desolate, dismal, dreary, and gloomy. While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.
the bleak years of the depression
The words cheerless and bleak can be used in similar contexts, but cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.
a drab and cheerless office
The meanings of desolate and bleak largely overlap; however, desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.
a desolate outpost
The synonyms dismal and bleak are sometimes interchangeable, but dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.
dismal weather
While the synonyms dreary and bleak are close in meaning, dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.
a dreary job
The words gloomy and bleak are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.
gloomy war news