bleak

1
[ bleek ]
/ blik /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR bleak ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, bleak·er, bleak·est.

bare, desolate, and often windswept: a bleak plain.
cold and piercing; raw: a bleak wind.
without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary: a bleak future.

Origin of bleak

1
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

synonym study for bleak

3. See austere.

OTHER WORDS FROM bleak

bleak·ish, adjective bleak·ly, adverb bleak·ness, noun

Words nearby bleak

bleacher, bleacherite, bleachers, bleachery, bleaching powder, bleak, bleak house, blear, bleary, bleary-eyed, bleasdale

Definition for bleak (2 of 2)

bleak 2
[ bleek ]
/ blik /

noun

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

Origin of bleak

2
1400–50; late Middle English bleke, noun use of bleke pale; see bleak1

Words related to bleak

desolate, austere, dreary, chilly, cold, grim, lonely, harsh, somber, sad, dark, gloomy, dismal, bare, blank, burned, desert, deserted, exposed, flat

Example sentences from the Web for bleak

British Dictionary definitions for bleak (1 of 2)

bleak 1
/ (bliːk) /

adjective

exposed and barren; desolate
cold and raw
offering little hope or excitement; dismal a bleak future

Derived forms of bleak

bleakly, adverb bleakness, noun

Word Origin for bleak

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

British Dictionary definitions for bleak (2 of 2)

bleak 2
/ (bliːk) /

noun

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

Word Origin for bleak

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