adj
bleak
bleek
adj
1
Cold, grey, and exposed, with nothing to soften the harshness of the scene.
"The moor looked bleak under the winter sky."
"A bleak wind blew across the empty car park."
2
Offering little hope; grim.
"The outlook for the struggling company looked bleak."
"Doctors gave a bleak prognosis after the accident."
How to Use Bleak
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishCold and cheerless, whether describing weather, landscape, or a hopeless situation.
Common pairings
bleak future
bleak landscape
bleak outlook
Word Forms
bleaker comparative, bleaks plural, bleak plural, bleakest superlative
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The moor looked _____ under the winter sky.
Etymology
From Old English "blāc," meaning pale, related to Old Norse "bleikr" — the same root that gave us "bleach."