bland

[bland]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bland ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, bland·er, bland·est.

pleasantly gentle or agreeable: a bland, affable manner.

soothing or balmy, as air: a bland southern breeze.

nonirritating, as food or medicines: a bland diet.

not highly flavored; mild; tasteless: a bland sauce.

lacking in special interest, liveliness, individuality, etc.; insipid; dull: a bland young man; a bland situation comedy.

unemotional, indifferent, or casual: his bland acknowledgment of guilt.

Origin of bland

First recorded in 1590–1600, bland is from the Latin word blandus of a smooth tongue, pleasant, soothing

Related formsbland·ly, adverbbland·ness, noun

Synonyms for bland

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bland ON THESAURUS.COM

1. affable, mild, amiable; suave, urbane. 2, 3. soft, mild.

Antonyms for bland

1. cruel; boorish. 2. harsh. 3. irritating.

Bland

[bland]

noun

James A(llen),1854–1911, U.S. songwriter and minstrel performer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bland

tedious, watery, insipid, boring, wishy-washy, tame, banal, dull, pleasant, amiable, soft, blah, flat, flavorless, humdrum, monotonous, nothing, pabulum, unexciting, uninteresting

Examples from the Web for bland

Contemporary Examples of bland

The Butterbrief, issued by Pope Innocent VIII, was a turning point for the then bland Stollen, which gradually became sweeter.
One Cake to Rule Them All: How Stollen Stole Our Hearts
Molly Hannon
December 24, 2014
Because holy hell was that bland, unfunny, uncomfortable, and just plain confusing.
The Biggest Bombs of 2014: ‘Sex Tape,’ Mariah Carey’s Vocals, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and More
Kevin Fallon
December 19, 2014
Head of State was prescient, but hollow; I Think I Love My Wife was bland; and the documentary Good Hair was fascinating fun.
Oscar Season Kicks Off in Toronto: Channing Tatum, Kristen Stewart, and More Court Awards Glory
Marlow Stern
September 14, 2014
How strange to hear “Feel Like Going Home” in 1948 after years of the bland pop on the Hit Parade.
The Stacks: How Leonard Chess Helped Make Muddy Waters
Alex Belth
August 2, 2014
Cosmetic surgery invites us to enter a dystopian universe in which everybody looks the same: poreless, ageless, blond and bland.
Nicole Kidman Botox Insanity: Why All Women Lose Out When We Obsess Over Stars’ Faces
Emma Woolf
May 25, 2014

Historical Examples of bland

Who art thou that talkest so freely of cracking the head of Arthur a Bland?
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Howard Pyle
Heathcroft, in spite of the close play, was as bland and unconcerned as ever.
Kent Knowles: Quahaug
Joseph C. Lincoln
Mr. Bonnithorne listened with a bland smile of amused incredulity.
A Son of Hagar
Sir Hall Caine
But he controlled his features, and maintained a placid, bland expression.
St. Martin's Summer
Rafael Sabatini
He found him bland and inscrutable, and decided to pin him down.
Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for bland

bland

adjective

devoid of any distinctive or stimulating characteristics; uninteresting; dullbland food

gentle and agreeable; suave

(of the weather) mild and soothing

unemotional or unmoveda bland account of atrocities

Word Origin for bland

C15: from Latin blandus flattering

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bland

adj.

1660s, from Italian blando "delicate," or Old French bland "flattering, complimentary," both from Latin blandus "smooth-talking, flattering, alluring," perhaps from PIE *mlad-, nasalized variant of *meld-, extended form of root *mel- (see melt). Related: Blandly; blandness. Latin also had blandiloquentulus "flattering in speech," which might have yielded a useful English *blandiloquent.