bleak

¹

[bleek]

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.

bleak

²

[bleek]

noun

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

bleak

¹

/ bliːk /

adjective

1. exposed and barren; desolate

2. cold and raw

3. offering little hope or excitement; dismal

   a bleak future

bleak

²

/ bliːk /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• bleakish adjective
• bleakly adverb
• bleakness noun

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bleak¹

Old English blāc bright, pale; related to Old Norse bleikr white, Old High German bleih pale

Origin of bleak²

C15: probably from Old Norse bleikja white colour; related to Old High German bleiche _bleach

Synonym Study

See austere.

Example Sentences

“This was a real bright spot of good news in an otherwise really bleak and tough time for our industry,” Mulroney said in an interview last week.

From Los Angeles Times

He says he cannot remember the situation being quite so bleak as now.

From BBC

Between September and December last year, Gisèle's bleak story travelled the world.

From BBC

“The Long Heat” details what might occur if capitalism based on fossil fuels cannot be overturned, in three sections with bleak views on adaptation, emissions and geo-engineering.

From Los Angeles Times

She wanted to witness the devastation that wiped out 10,700 homes, including the small white cottage where she grew up, and turned the dense forest of her youth into a bleak landscape.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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