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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The darkly comedic drama confronts reality, privacy, and the delusions fueling our ever-changing world.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
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The darkly comic horror-thriller stars McAdams and Dylan O’Brien as coworkers stranded on a desert island, and sports a glowing 93 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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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
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In October, family, friends and community members somberly walked out of the courthouse, disappointed to learn the resentencing hearing for Rhoades would be delayed.—
Kayla Moeller,
CBS News,
20 Dec. 2025
Adverb
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There are many doors in Emily’s world—doors for liars, stair climbers, tigers, snakes, and those who speak very quietly—but none for Emily.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
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Las Cruces sits quietly in the southern stretch of New Mexico, framed by the Organ Mountains on one side and vast desert sky on the other, setting the scene for a truly romantic weekend soaking in Southwestern culture.—
Ronny Maye,
Essence,
1 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Micron is investing heavily, with FY2026 capex forecasted to be around $20B to bolster HBM4 capacity and new fabs in Idaho and New York.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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From about the 1980s onward, the neighborhood has been heavily but not exclusively an Asian business corridor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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The film centers on Westley (Cary Elwes), a farmhand who goes on a noble quest to rescue his beloved Buttercup (Robin Wright) from the clutches of the loathsome Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon), to whom she's unhappily betrothed.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Jan. 2026
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The Old Globe: ‘Hedda Gabler’ Film and stage star Katie Holmes will play the title role in a new adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s 1891 Norwegian psychological drama about an unhappily married and controlling woman whose plot to financially ruin her former lover goes horribly awry.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Dec. 2025
Adverb
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Brown then tried to ride the anti-tax, spending-limit movement into the White House two years later — but failed miserably.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
15 Jan. 2026
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But the presence of these compounds in grapes failed miserably as a diagnostic for smoke taint.—
Nicola Twilley,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bleakly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bleakly. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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