BLEAK

adj. 1 cheerless, dreary, depressing, dismal, gloomy, sombre, melancholy, sad, unhappy, mournful 1940 was one of the bleakest periods in British history 2 cold, chilly, raw, bitter The days were getting shorter, and the bleak winter was setting in 3 barren, bare, exposed, windswept, desolate: How depressing the bleak landscape of the Russian steppes can be in winter!