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

But in the camp's cheerless food market we met women who pointed out that their children are guilty of nothing and pleaded for them to have a normal life.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

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 • Jan. 29, 2025

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 • Dec. 14, 2024

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 • Mar. 2, 2023

‘Do you realize,’ said Renn as they huddled in a hasty shelter after a cheerless night meal, ‘that we haven’t seen a single reindeer? They should be everywhere by now.’

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver