bleak
1
[ bleek ]
/ blik /
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, nounWords nearby bleak
bleacher,
bleacherite,
bleachers,
bleachery,
bleaching powder,
bleak,
bleak house,
blear,
bleary,
bleary-eyed,
bleasdale
Example sentences from the Web for bleakness
British Dictionary definitions for bleakness (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, nounWord Origin for bleak
Old English
blāc bright, pale; related to Old Norse
bleikr white, Old High German
bleih pale
British Dictionary definitions for bleakness (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