bleak
8
4.9
- adjective
- /blik/
- She stood on the bleak cliff, staring at the turbulent sea crashing against the rocks below.
- a bleak landscape
- look bleak
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Watch on YouTubeSee it as a break in a rather bleak space.
- See it as a break in a rather bleak space.
- But photo of bleak hot desert.
Examples
-
The open, heavily grazed Mediterranean landscape can appear to be uniformly bleak, especially during the dry summer.
Academic text (1998) -
The late-nineteenth-century New Jersey estate, across the street from a graveyard, looked bleak in the afternoon light.
Academic text (2004) -
But there is a world where for many it does seem bleak just because it's all they know.
-
" Yes, dear friend? " said Black, looking at the bleak sky where once green was.
Fiction book (1995) -
Ed had turned it into a bleak combination of office and storage.
Fiction book (1999) -
I looked around at the bleak state government cafeteria where few people seemed thrilled with their lives.
Fiction book (1994) -
From the outside, the studios can seem as bleak and uninviting as fortresses.
-
Above them loomed the continents, bleak as the landscapes of the moon.
-
In the heart of Berlin, where you might expect bronze statuary, you'll find instead a bleak, undulating landscape of tombstone-like monoliths.
Academic text (2016) -
On the bleak moors, only the wind and occasional sheep could be seen for miles.
Synonyms
430
1.0
Feeling gloomy and sad
301
2.2
Not covered or protected, showing the plain surface
88
4.2
Sad and hopeless, making things seem very bad
44
3.8
A gloomy, boring time that makes you feel sad or tired
44
4.6
Land where plants and animals cannot grow
29
6.8
Empty and bleak with little life or shelter
22
2.3
Dark and not well lit so a place feels sad
14
4.8
Very plain and empty with no decoration
2
6.3
Not interesting and without energy or life
1
9.9
A dull, cold, and depressing place or scene
1
5.8
A dark, gloomy place that makes people feel afraid or uncomfortable
Dark and sad in a way that makes you feel unhappy
Antonyms
Idioms
How Bleak
Surface Forms
Etymology
Bleak likely comes from an old Norse word bleikr, meaning 'pale'. Picture a pale, empty landscape with no trees or shelter, and you can see why bleak means bare and unwelcoming.