/ bliːk; NAmE / adjective ( bleak·er , bleak·est )
1.
( of a situation ) not encouraging or giving any reason to have hope :
a bleak outlook / prospect
The future looks bleak for the fishing industry.
The medical prognosis was bleak.
2.
( of the weather ) cold and unpleasant :
a bleak winter's day
3.
( of a place ) exposed, empty, or with no pleasant features :
a bleak landscape / hillside / moor
bleak concrete housing
► bleak·ly adverb :
'There seems no hope,' she said bleakly.
bleakly lit corridors
► bleak·ness noun [ U ]
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English blāc shining, white , or in later use from synonymous Old Norse bleikr ; ultimately of Germanic origin and related to bleach .