1
a
: smooth and soothing in manner or quality
bland approval
a bland smile
b
: exhibiting no personal concern or embarrassment : unperturbed
a bland confession of guilt
2
a
: not irritating, stimulating, or invigorating : soothing
a bland oil
the bland climate of the southern coast
b
: dull, insipid
bland stories with little plot or action
a bland rendition of the song
c
: lacking strong flavor
Expect both kinds of salsify to be subtle and delicate—too bland for some tastebuds.Elizabeth Schneider
blandly adverb
blandness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for bland

suave, urbane, diplomatic, bland, smooth, politic mean pleasantly tactful and well-mannered.

suave suggests a specific ability to deal with others easily and without friction.

a suave public relations coordinator

urbane implies high cultivation and poise coming from wide social experience.

an urbane traveler

diplomatic stresses an ability to deal with ticklish situations tactfully.

a diplomatic negotiator

bland emphasizes mildness of manner and absence of irritating qualities.

a bland master of ceremonies

smooth suggests often a deliberately assumed suavity.

a smooth salesman

politic implies shrewd as well as tactful and suave handling of people.

a cunningly politic manager

Examples of bland in a Sentence

The vegetable soup was rather bland. The diplomat's bland statement did nothing to calm the situation.
Recent Examples on the Web The pair rolled out all the clichés that Airbnb guests have experienced, from hard-to-operate locks to bland words used as artwork on walls. Pat Saperstein, Variety, 3 Mar. 2024 From a bland, uninspiring look to having fresh threads and a sleek design to show off. Shane Young, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Adam Schiff tries bland and steady in California U.S. Senate race. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024 Watery and anything but bland are the four other debuting neighborhoods. David Dickstein, Orange County Register, 2 Feb. 2024 Letter of Recommendation An obsession with luxury is transforming cities into bland, isolating landscapes. Alexander Nazaryan, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024 The final product included 20 wooden buildings painted very bland colors so the actors could pop against them. Jordi Lippe, Travel + Leisure, 16 Feb. 2024 Bad chocolate syrup is sugary, thin, bland and not nearly chocolaty enough. Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2024 So Snyder remakes the childish Star Wars series into rousing adult moral lessons, whereas Martin Scorsese succumbs to America’s current self-loathing in his first political film (and first Western)— a bland epic superficially preoccupied with white supremacy. Armond White, National Review, 5 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bland.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin blandus "influencing others by flattery, ingratiating, insidious, calm, gentle, agreeable to the senses, pleasant," of uncertain origin

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bland was in 1565

Dictionary Entries Near bland

Cite this Entry

“Bland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bland. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bland

adjective
1
: smooth and soothing in manner : gentle
a bland smile
2
a
: having soft and soothing qualities : not irritating
bland diet
b
: not interesting : dull
a bland story
blandly adverb
blandness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on bland

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