cheerless

American  

[cheer-lis] / ˈtʃɪər lɪs /

adjective

1. without cheer; joyless; gloomy.

   drab, cheerless surroundings.

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cheerless British  

/ ˈtʃɪəlɪs /

adjective

1. dreary, gloomy, or pessimistic

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Other Word Forms

• cheerlessly adverb
• cheerlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of cheerless

First recorded in 1570–80; cheer + -less

Example Sentences

Our beginning-of-the-year customs go hand in hand with its bleakness as we choose to make ourselves more cheerless by abstaining from things we enjoy, while pushing ourselves towards the more mundane and less exciting.

From Salon

In Hollywood’s ongoing cheerless attempts to contest the joy of music by cutting stellar classical musicians down to size, “Maria” joins the curt parade of “Tár” and “Maestro.”

From Los Angeles Times

Cashiers at the supermarket knew them as a quiet, cheerless family that shopped several times a week.

From Seattle Times

Set in an especially cheerless pocket of Southern California, where high-voltage lines loom over the sparsely treed landscape, it opens in the summer.

From New York Times

“It’s nothing fancy,” the employer says, clearly believing otherwise, as the nanny’s smile fades in the gray, cheerless light.

From New York Times