1
as in darkly
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2
as in somberly
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Recent Examples of bleakly
But Cash’s most original and engaging writing is slightly out of step with reality and bleakly funny, devoted to wordplay and willing to be foolish about it.
—
Hannah Gold, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026
On the sixth day of the new year, normally a bleakly depressing time for corporate employees, Enhypen had a treat in store for their fans.
—Irene Kim, Vogue, 16 Jan. 2026
Pulling all the threads together, Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister and a key international ally of Ukraine, saw things bleakly.
—Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025
Where other projects have found success discussing the same notions bleakly, Etzler trusts his sardonic approach will tempt audiences to let their guards down and allow the subject matter to resonate, perhaps looking inward at their own complicity in the process.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
Hannah Gold, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026
On the sixth day of the new year, normally a bleakly depressing time for corporate employees, Enhypen had a treat in store for their fans.
—Irene Kim, Vogue, 16 Jan. 2026
Pulling all the threads together, Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister and a key international ally of Ukraine, saw things bleakly.
—Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025
Where other projects have found success discussing the same notions bleakly, Etzler trusts his sardonic approach will tempt audiences to let their guards down and allow the subject matter to resonate, perhaps looking inward at their own complicity in the process.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bleakly
Adverb
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For most of the evening, the mood is darkly funny and a little ominous, as the siblings take undermining jabs and the in-laws roll their eyes.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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Kirsten Dunst, Daniel Brühl, and Keanu Reeves are among the starry cast on the darkly satirical film which is set on a long-haul flight between England and Australia where the entertainment system fails and passengers are forced to face the horror of being bored.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Joseph and his supporters were clad in green and white and marched somberly to the election council’s headquarters.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
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As a light dusting of snow fell over Minneapolis Sunday morning, community members lit candles, laid fresh flowers and stood somberly around a makeshift vigil at the site of Pretti’s death.—
Michael Biesecker,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Steps from the Capitol's West Front and where the worst of the fighting occurred, workers quietly have installed a plaque honoring the officers, three years after it was required by law to be erected.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
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Women were punished differently — whipped, branded, sold, imprisoned, or quietly executed.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Lakewood police were heavily criticized for their handling of the investigation into Gratton’s death, including for using her deadname and for an overall lack of transparency about the investigation.—
The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
12 Mar. 2026
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The Spartans have relied heavily on their starting five all season due to the injury bug, which has left their bench as shallow as two deep late in recent games.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
12 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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But a Democratic victory in 2026 is not likely to end this cycle, in which majorities hate how both parties handle immigration and ping-pong unhappily between them.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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She's unhappily laid up right now after a hit and run car accident near her Cranston home.—
Gail Ciampa,
The Providence Journal,
21 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Her strategy failed miserably as lawmakers refused to give in to her demands.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
21 Feb. 2026
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These athletes run dozens of miles, generally in the heat, at altitude, or in bad weather, up and down mountains, all while attempting, sometimes miserably, to eat and drink enough to keep going.—
Dan England,
Outside,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bleakly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bleakly. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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