as in chill
an uncomfortable degree of coolness
the morning bleakness prompted me to get a fire going
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Recent Examples of bleakness
He was viewed as one of the country’s top coaching prospects — a ‘tracksuit manager’ who would play a hands-on role in training, and a welcome tonic after the bleakness of his predecessor Walter Smith’s tenure.
—
Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
This bleakness makes for numerous memorably tense sequences, including a blackout, a bus ride, a rendezvous at an aquarium, and, bizarrely, a screening of an early Disney cartoon.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Apr. 2026
To find out more, Newsweek spoke with Pixile Studios co-founder Michael One and narrative designer Ruben, about designing a battle royale in this distinct format, building a global live service as a small indie team, and how cuteness and bleakness are not contradictions.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Harry is a grouch and Oslo is his trash can, which isn’t the way the city is traditionally depicted, with Santelmann making the descent into greater and greater bleakness seem organic.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
Thus Cuarón is free to break the bleakness in his life with the surreal life where a kiss becomes the ticket for romantic flight into the skies.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026
But even amidst so much bewildering bleakness, there are moments of beauty to be found in a new season, in a new revolution of the wheel of the year.
—Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
The long-view shtick works for a while, but the bleakness gets exhausting.
—Sam Lipsyte, Curbed, 15 Dec. 2025
The filmmaker instead evokes his earlier work—namely Dogtooth and The Killing of a Sacred Deer—combining the mannered, hermetic bleakness of those tales with the befuddled existentialism of a Samuel Beckett play.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
This bleakness makes for numerous memorably tense sequences, including a blackout, a bus ride, a rendezvous at an aquarium, and, bizarrely, a screening of an early Disney cartoon.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Apr. 2026
To find out more, Newsweek spoke with Pixile Studios co-founder Michael One and narrative designer Ruben, about designing a battle royale in this distinct format, building a global live service as a small indie team, and how cuteness and bleakness are not contradictions.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Harry is a grouch and Oslo is his trash can, which isn’t the way the city is traditionally depicted, with Santelmann making the descent into greater and greater bleakness seem organic.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
Thus Cuarón is free to break the bleakness in his life with the surreal life where a kiss becomes the ticket for romantic flight into the skies.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026
But even amidst so much bewildering bleakness, there are moments of beauty to be found in a new season, in a new revolution of the wheel of the year.
—Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
The long-view shtick works for a while, but the bleakness gets exhausting.
—Sam Lipsyte, Curbed, 15 Dec. 2025
The filmmaker instead evokes his earlier work—namely Dogtooth and The Killing of a Sacred Deer—combining the mannered, hermetic bleakness of those tales with the befuddled existentialism of a Samuel Beckett play.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bleakness
Noun
-
But pro-Palestinian activist Remah Naji said the ban had sent a chill through the local protest movement.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
This variety requires only 200 winter chill hours, meaning it can be grown anywhere in Southern California.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The state said Hollis was wrong for harboring bitterness toward him.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
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In addition to the scallions, half a cup of whole parsley leaves adds a grassy depth and pleasant bitterness to this salad.—
Martha Stewart,
Martha Stewart,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bleakness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bleakness. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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