Meaning & use

bleak

adjective·Academic

Lacking hope, warmth, or cheer; also bare, cold, and exposed in appearance.

See it in a sentence

The forecast painted a bleak picture for the struggling factory town's economy.

A bleak wind swept across the empty moor as the hikers hurried for shelter.

A note on using this word

Bleak often describes both landscapes and situations, from a bare winter field to a hopeless outlook.

Words with a similar meaning

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Words with an opposite meaning

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