as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
historically regarded as a dreich corner of Britain, Scotland's very name comes from the Greek word for "dark"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreich
Adjective
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Matters only got more bleak in the sixth, when Rushing fouled a ball off his right shin, smoking a ball right above where his guard ended and immediately going down in pain.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025 -
The one constant is the unhappy couple’s bleak surroundings.—
Adam Solomons,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Interestingly, Lorraine has taught Judy to ward off her frightening visions by using a nursery rhyme, effectively teaching her to suppress her dark side.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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The Dolphins wear white jerseys at home for afternoon games, forcing opponents to wear darker colors that absorb more heat.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Compelling, sure, but more depressing than funny.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
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The news is depressing, and now the Tribune is ignoring what is, for those who are not sports fans, their leading form of entertainment.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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His work in those early days bears little resemblance to the crystalline large-format portraits of lonely American landscapes that would come to define his career.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
9 Sep. 2025
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Quarterback is an isolating and lonely position, despite entire infrastructures reverse-engineered in service of those who play it, to say nothing of the elaborate playbooks created for them.—
Seth Wickersham,
The Atlantic,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Chapple, the late Queen’s beekeeper, went first to Clarence House and then Buckingham Palace to perform his somber duty of telling the bees, a centuries-old custom of informing the bees when their owner has died.—
Elizabeth Bass Parman,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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News voices in the 1970's tended to be somber, accent-less, and almost exclusively male.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Of course as their cross-country road trip progresses and Felice racks up first-round-loss after first-round-loss, Gatti’s louche lifestyle is revealed to have a darker, more depressive aspect.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
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These issues ranged from academic difficulties and disruptive behaviors to depressive moods.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Silksong is steeped in religious imagery — desolate chapels, ringing church bells, even rosary beads that act as in-game currency.—
Keller Gordon,
NPR,
8 Sep. 2025
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Her haunting soprano ranged from desolate whispers to expansive belts.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The fair also will feature two stages of music, an entertainment dome, mouthwatering festival food and plenty of cold beer.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Sep. 2025
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In a study, the team describes how cooling a gas of radioactive atoms to temperatures colder than deep space could synchronize their radioactive decay.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Dreich.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreich. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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