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 of bleak

• depressing
• dark
• somber
• lonely
• desolate
• depressive
• solemn
• darkening
• murky
• cold
• morbid
• gray
• lonesome
• miserable
• gloomy

Choose the Right Synonym for bleak

dismal, dreary, bleak, gloomy, cheerless, desolate mean devoid of cheer or comfort.

dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

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

The goofy sketch comedies and homemade spoofs that once filled his channel gradually disappeared, replaced by melancholy short films and bleak monologues. — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026

Cher’s court documents paint a bleak picture of how Allman, 49, allegedly blows through his $120,000 annual trust distributions. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2026

For recent grads, the boom in remote work could be worsening an already bleak job market, said Emma Ockerman in Yahoo. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 25 June 2026

Thursday’s outcome looked bleak after Ecuador failed to get a point against Curacao and lost to Ivory Coast to begin the tournament. — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 25 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bleke pale; probably akin to Old English blāc

First Known Use

1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bleak

• beak
• beek
• cheek
• chic
• clique
• creak
• creek
• eke
• freak
• geek
• greek
• leak

Kids Definition

bleak

adjective

ˈblēk 

1

: open to wind or weather

a bleak coast

2

: cold entry 1 sense 1, raw

a bleak November evening

3

: dreary, cheerless

the future looks bleak

4

: very plain

bleakly adverb

bleakness noun