bleak
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bleak 1
(blēk)adj. bleak·er, bleak·est
1.
a. Gloomy and somber: "Life in the Aran Islands has always been bleak and difficult" (John Millington Synge).
b. Providing no encouragement; depressing: a bleak prospect.
2. Cold and cutting; raw: bleak winds of the North Atlantic.
3. Exposed to the elements; unsheltered and barren: the bleak, treeless regions of the high Andes.
bleak′ly adv.
bleak′ness n.
bleak 2
(blēk)n. pl. bleak or bleaks
Any of various small European freshwater fishes of the genus Alburnus, having silvery scales.
[Middle English bleke, probably alteration (influenced by bleke, pale) of *blay, from Old English blǣge.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
bleak
(bliːk)adj
1. exposed and barren; desolate
2. cold and raw
3. offering little hope or excitement; dismal: a bleak future.
[Old English blāc bright, pale; related to Old Norse bleikr white, Old High German bleih pale]
ˈbleakly adv
ˈbleakness n
bleak
(bliːk)n
(Animals) any slender silvery European cyprinid fish of the genus Alburnus, esp A. lucidus, occurring in slow-flowing rivers
[C15: probably from Old Norse bleikja white colour; related to Old High German bleiche bleach]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
bleak
(blik)adj. -er, -est.
1. bare, desolate, and often windswept: a bleak plain.
2. cold and piercing; raw: a bleak wind.
3. without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary: a bleak future.
[1300–50; Middle English bleke pale, b. variants bleche (Old English blǣc) and blake (Old English blāc)]
bleak′ish, adj.
bleak′ly, adv.
bleak′ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Adj. | 1. |  bleak - offering little or no hope; "the future looked black"; "prospects were bleak"; "Life in the Aran Islands has always been bleak and difficult"- J.M.Synge; "took a dim view of things"hopeless - without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success; "in an agony of hopeless grief"; "with a hopeless sigh he sat down" |
| 2. |  bleak - providing no shelter or sustenance; "bare rocky hills"; "barren lands"; "the bleak treeless regions of the high Andes"; "the desolate surface of the moon"; "a stark landscape"inhospitable - unfavorable to life or growth; "the barren inhospitable desert"; "inhospitable mountain areas" | |
| 3. |  bleak - unpleasantly cold and damp; "bleak winds of the North Atlantic"cold - having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration; "a cold climate"; "a cold room"; "dinner has gotten cold"; "cold fingers"; "if you are cold, turn up the heat"; "a cold beer" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
bleak
adjective
1. dismal, black, dark, depressing, grim, discouraging, gloomy, hopeless, dreary, sombre, unpromising, disheartening, joyless, cheerless, comfortless The immediate outlook remains bleak.
dismal promising, encouraging, cheerful, cosy
dismal promising, encouraging, cheerful, cosy
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
bleak
adjective1. Dark and depressing:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
pochmurnýponurýpustýdeprimujícíholý
tristdysterkold og forblæst
synkkäkalpeakarukolkkopaljas
sumoran
dapurlegurhrjóstrugur
荒涼とした
황량한
niūrus
drūmskailsneaizsargātsnemīlīgs
ponuryukleja
pust
blekdysterfärglöslöja
ไร้ความหวัง
ảm đạm
bleak
[bliːk]A. ADJ (bleaker (compar) (bleakest (superl))) [landscape] → desolado, inhóspito; [weather] → desapacible, crudo; [smile, voice] → lúgubre, sombrío; [future] → sombrío; [welcome] → poco hospitalario; [room] → lúgubre
it was a bleak, lonely existence out there → allá la vida era triste y desoladora
it looks or things look rather bleak for him → las cosas no se le presentan muy alentadoras
it was a bleak, lonely existence out there → allá la vida era triste y desoladora
it looks or things look rather bleak for him → las cosas no se le presentan muy alentadoras
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
bleak
[ˈbliːk] adj [prospect, future] → morne
to look bleak, to remain bleak
The future looks bleak → L'avenir semble peu prometteur.
to look bleak, to remain bleak
The future looks bleak → L'avenir semble peu prometteur.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
bleak
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
bleak
[bliːk] adj (landscape) → desolato/a; (weather) → gelido/a; (smile) → pallido/a; (prospect, future) → tetro/a, deprimentethe prospects of your getting a job here are bleak → le probabilità che tu trovi un lavoro qui sono molto scarse
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
bleak
(bliːk) adjective1. cold and unsheltered. a bleak landscape.
2. not hopeful. a bleak outlook for the future.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
bleak
→ كَئِيب pochmurný trist kahl άχαρος inhóspito, sombrío synkkä glauque sumoran desolato 荒涼とした 황량한 somber dyster ponury desabrigado, desolador гнетущий dyster ไร้ความหวัง rüzgara açık ảm đạm 黯淡的Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009