bleaker; bleakest
1
: exposed and barren and often windswept
a bleak landscape
bleak soils
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
Examples of bleak in a Sentence
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
But bleak and uncertain as things seem right now, Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred does not want to lose Tampa Bay, the No. 11 media market, which is why the hope is for a deep pocket owner (or owners) from Tampa to emerge and the Tampa stadium plan near Ybor City can be revived.
—
Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2025
Suicide is pretty bleak for a Super Bowl spot, and mental health, in general, is a sensitive topic.
—Matthew Pittman, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2025
The revenue outlook was also bleak, with the company calling for $750 million to $800 million, while analysts sought $957.4 million.
—Brian Evans, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2025
Sweeney’s cast — there are excellent turns from Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale, Speak No Evil) and Abbott Elementary’s Chris Perfetti — deploy their witty retorts, bleak sentiments and existential worries at a bracing and confident clip.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bleak 
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Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2025
Suicide is pretty bleak for a Super Bowl spot, and mental health, in general, is a sensitive topic.
—Matthew Pittman, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2025
The revenue outlook was also bleak, with the company calling for $750 million to $800 million, while analysts sought $957.4 million.
—Brian Evans, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2025
Sweeney’s cast — there are excellent turns from Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale, Speak No Evil) and Abbott Elementary’s Chris Perfetti — deploy their witty retorts, bleak sentiments and existential worries at a bracing and confident clip.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bleak
Articles Related to bleak
Dictionary Entries Near bleak
Cite this Entry
“Bleak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bleak. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bleak
adjective1
: open to wind or weather
a bleak coast
2
: cold entry 1 sense 1, raw
a bleak November evening
4
: very plain
bleakly
adverb
bleakness
noun
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