bland
2
3.9
- adjective
- /blænd/
:
cortés
- Hospitality is often taken to mean a bland congeniality.
- a bland smile
- a bland voice
- a bland tone
For it's from mildness that my soul dies when you cover your passion in a bland friend's disguise.
- For it's from mildness that my soul dies when you cover your passion in a bland friend's disguise.
Examples
-
I must've seemed very bland to him after you.
-
No intonation, no fury, just the bland voice with vaguely elongated vowels and clipped consonants.
Fiction book (2001) -
For an instant, his face went bland, and then it cracked in laughter.
Fiction book (1996) -
Kevin stared at the name, struggling to keep his expression bland.
Fiction book (1995) -
Unfailing smiles and bland words did not deceive him.
Fiction book (1997) -
The stress of always having to maintain a cheerfully bland facade can be overwhelming.
Blog text (7) -
In an attempt to offend no one, history textbooks have become so bland as to be practically useless, if not actually misleading.
Academic text (1991) -
As theologian Henri Nouwen notes, for many, if not most of us, hospitality suggests "tea parties, bland conversations, and a general atmosphere of coziness."
Academic text (2000) -
"An improvement on Master Arnor's crabbed script, I devoutly hope," Robinton remarked in a bland tone.
Fiction book (1991) -
He spoke in a bland manner, making it difficult to tell what he really felt.
Synonyms
585
3.9
Polite but not friendly or warm
116
4.4
A person who speaks and acts confidently and politely
22
2.6
Being calm and relaxed and not easily upset
21
3.4
Friendly and pleasant in a way people like
19
3.4
A person who is gentle, calm, and not aggressive
18
7.1
Confident and charming in a smooth, polite way, often about a man
18
1.0
Pleasant to be with or to experience
16
5.5
Friendly and easy to talk to
9
5.1
Simple and honest in style and not trying to impress people
9
6.8
Serious and respectable in a quiet way, not showy or lively
4
7.2
Careful and polite in words and actions to avoid upsetting people and gain an advantage
Calm and unlikely to cause arguments
Antonyms
Compounds
How Agreeable
Surface Forms
Etymology
Bland comes from the Latin word blandus, which meant 'flattering' or 'pleasant'. A bland person uses smooth, pleasant words to avoid trouble, so bland can mean politely agreeable and without strong feeling.