bleak

¹ American  

[bleek] / blik /

adjective

bleaker, bleakest

1. bare, desolate, and often windswept.

   a bleak plain.

2. cold and piercing; raw.

   a bleak wind.

3. without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary.

   a bleak future.

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bleak ² American  

[bleek] / blik /

noun

1. a European freshwater fish, Alburnus alburnus, having scales with a silvery pigment that is used in the production of artificial pearls.

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bleak ¹ British  

/ bliːk /

adjective

1. exposed and barren; desolate

2. cold and raw

3. offering little hope or excitement; dismal

   a bleak future

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bleak ² British  

/ bliːk /

noun

1. any slender silvery European cyprinid fish of the genus Alburnus , esp A. lucidus , occurring in slow-flowing rivers

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Related Words

See austere.

Other Word Forms

• bleakish adjective
• bleakly adverb
• bleakness noun

Etymology

Origin of bleak¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bleke “pale,” blend of variants bleche ( Old English blǣc ) and blake ( Old English blāc ); both cognate with Old Norse bleikr, German bleich; akin to bleach

Origin of bleak²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English bleke, noun use of bleke “pale”; bleak ¹

Example Sentences

The prospects for Cuba in his absence are bleak.

From BBC

When filming on the final season wrapped last December, it was a bleak ending.

From Los Angeles Times

Things seem bleak now, but buried under all the terrible statistics and policy is a message we can’t ignore: we must act.

From Salon

While many see that as a major win, it doesn’t represent the bigger, bleaker picture for salmon in the state.

From Los Angeles Times

The bleak assessment is likely to be echoed in other NHS regions as building winter pressures increase the challenge of trying to find hospital beds for sick patients needing care.

From BBC

Related Words

• black
• cheerless
• dark
• dismal
• grim
• hopeless
• sad