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
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
While often unrelenting in its bleakness, Biutiful is made effective by Bardem's subtly heartbreaking performance, which earned him an Oscar nomination.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
Banishing all of that bleakness, Hurts rolled right on third-and-goal and fit a 15-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Dallas Goedert between a layer of multiple defenders.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
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
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
While often unrelenting in its bleakness, Biutiful is made effective by Bardem's subtly heartbreaking performance, which earned him an Oscar nomination.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
Banishing all of that bleakness, Hurts rolled right on third-and-goal and fit a 15-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Dallas Goedert between a layer of multiple defenders.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
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 a chill settled on the Dodgers’ bats instead.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Breezy winds will keep wind chills in the 30s under a mix of clouds and sun.—
April 18,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Acidic liquids can tame that bitterness.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
-
After bitterness, a little sweetness is in order.—
Michelle Huneven,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bleakness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bleakness. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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