bleak
1 Americanadjective
-
bleaker,
comparative
-
bleakest
superlative
-
bare, desolate, and often windswept.
a bleak plain.
-
cold and piercing; raw.
a bleak wind.
-
without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary.
a bleak future.
noun
-
bleaks
plural
adjective
-
exposed and barren; desolate
-
cold and raw
-
offering little hope or excitement; dismal
a bleak future
noun
Synonym Usage
See austere.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
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”; see bleak 1
Explanation
Something that is bleak is gloomy and depressing. If it's raining and dark, you might describe the night as bleak. If you have looked for work and no one will hire you, you could describe your prospects as bleak. If you and the ten people sharing your lifeboat have been adrift for ten days and are down to your last cracker, your situation is bleak. A near synonym is dismal. Bleak is from Middle English bleik, from Old Norse bleikr, "white, pale." This word is related to the English word bleach.
Vocabulary lists containing bleak
"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
List 6
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If the recent terms are a prologue, the coming term is bleak.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
My objective is to use the existing comparisons to reexamine “Promising Young Woman,” try to understand Fennell’s intentions, and look at the bleak truths her movie stares straight in the face.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
Consumer sentiment surveys paint a bleak picture right now, but consumers are spending briskly.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
You may not be earning a six-figure salary like that other letter writer, but your outlook is far less bleak than the initial arithmetic suggests.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
Their three faces all wore the same bleak look.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
We once caught in an hour 6000 fishes like bleaks.
From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 08 by Robert Kerr
For young Americans, though, the job landscape was much bleaker.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Many in Hollywood fear that the consolidation of two historic studios will bring thousands of layoffs and contribute to a bleaker employment picture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
When Raducanu dissected her French Open first-round exit just three weeks ago in Paris, things looked much bleaker.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
For the around 2,000 consumers surveyed, the sense of bleaker times to come is also now apparent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
That same day, however, he wrote John a private and far bleaker letter.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Even in the bleakest moments, we took great comfort in their support.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
When I graduated from UC–Berkeley with my “useless” comparative literature degree, into one of the bleakest job markets in recent American memory, I thought to myself, There must be a loophole somewhere.
From Slate ● Mar. 20, 2026
Fender is one of our finest songwriters, with a sharp eye for detail and a heartland rock style that turn even the bleakest observations into rousing stadium anthems.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2025
Since this scene plays more than halfway through the second season in an episode called “Last Drink,” we recognize this as the bleakest version of “famous last words.”
From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2024
In theory, scientists can get energy from the Casimir effect even at absolute zero in the bleakest part of the vacuum of space.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
