as in soothing
not harsh or stern especially in nature or effect
bland food that was good for babies and invalids
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Recent Examples of bland
DeVille traces the knockoff effect that happened over time, like when the unpredictable pop experimentalists of MGMT were succeeded—and commercially eclipsed—by bands with blander takes on their ideas (Capital Cities, Foster the People, Empire of the Sun).
—
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 29 Aug. 2025
The new labels bring a fresh spin on tennis attire that had gone bland following the retirements of icons Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, and Serena Williams.
—Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The training camp in Kazan was no picnic, living in spartan dorm rooms, eating bland food, no one speaking English, grinding away in the gym all day.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Unfortunately, that means dining can sometimes be bland at best.
—Edwina Clark, SELF, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bland
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 29 Aug. 2025
The new labels bring a fresh spin on tennis attire that had gone bland following the retirements of icons Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, and Serena Williams.
—Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The training camp in Kazan was no picnic, living in spartan dorm rooms, eating bland food, no one speaking English, grinding away in the gym all day.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Unfortunately, that means dining can sometimes be bland at best.
—Edwina Clark, SELF, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bland
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bland
Adjective
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They’re placed on or next to the body and struck with a mallet to release a calming vibration and mellifluous tone that eases muscles, sparking an immediately soothing effect on the nervous system and improving synaptic responses in the brain.—
Terry Elward,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Whatever the manifestation—hair-tucking, shorts-pulling, ball-bouncing, bobbing, pocket-checking, or something else entirely—the familiarity of these motions can have a soothing effect, calming the player’s nerves before a big shot.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The rest of the movie goes on to explain how, and a bit why, such a seemingly gentle woman could do such an absolutely awful thing.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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Household glass cleaners like Windex are formulated to be more gentle on your windows and other glass surfaces.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Traditional shades of red and green remain present, but they’re joined by bubble gum pink and soft blue for a more eclectic palette.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Sep. 2025
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Tejasvi designed it with large-font type to make text easier to see and read, and a soft, blue theme intended to be soothing to people who may come to the site fresh from a scam and be fearful or frazzled.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Get the recipe > The mellow sweetness of summer corn and lobster meat harmonize beautifully in this ultimate summer soup.—
SAVEUR Editors,
Saveur,
4 Sep. 2025
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Casting the sweet-faced and unflappably mellow Dano — Eli Sunday his Vadim Baranov is not — as Putin’s kingmaker also assures that Assayas isn’t keen on high drama, with conversations in conference rooms plotting totalitarian takeover rarely rising above library-voice level.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The casualties included six people who were in serious condition and three who were in mild condition, the MDA said.—
Becca Longmire,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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Spring brings wildflowers and mild weather, while summer entails long days best spent out on the water or hiking trails.—
Cu Fleshman,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But even if this ultrasound does pick up on an ovarian growth, that doesn’t tell you whether the tumor is cancerous (and most of the growths found by transvaginal ultrasound are benign).—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
5 Sep. 2025
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But levitating Treasury yields after a court ruled many of the administration's tariffs were imposed illegally has stoked some questioning of the benign equilibrium among policy, the economy and markets, prompting a wobble in equity indexes Tuesday.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bland.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bland. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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