bleak

/bliːk/ (bre, ipa) · /bliːk/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈblēk/ (ame, mw)

bleak — adjective

1. describing a place that looks bare and unfriendly, with few trees, buildings, or

1.形容詞C2
釋義

describing a place that looks bare and unfriendly, with few trees, buildings, or other features that would make it feel pleasant or sheltered.

例句

The hikers crossed a bleak moor where only grey rocks and tough grass survived the wind.

modifying a noun describing exposed terrain

From the train window, Marcus stared out at the bleak industrial outskirts of the city.

predicative scene-setting use

同義詞
  • barren

    stresses that nothing grows there; bleak adds the feeling of being unwelcoming

  • desolate

    stronger; suggests the place is empty and lonely, often abandoned

  • windswept

    narrower; focuses on strong wind sweeping across the place

反義詞
  • lush

    full of healthy plants and green life

  • welcoming

    feels friendly and pleasant to visitors

用法筆記

Subject is usually a wide outdoor place such as a moor, hillside, plain, or coastline; less natural when the place has trees, gardens, or busy streets.

常見錯誤

❌The garden was bleak with many flowers.
✅The garden looked bleak after the storm broke all the flowers.
💡bleak places lack pleasant features, so it clashes with 'many flowers'.

2. describing weather or a day that feels uncomfortably cold, often with grey skies

2.形容詞C2
釋義

describing weather or a day that feels uncomfortably cold, often with grey skies, sharp wind, or rain.

例句

It was a bleak November morning, with freezing rain blowing against the windows.

common frame: a bleak [time period] morning / day

The children waited at the bus stop on a bleak winter afternoon.

collocation: bleak winter / bleak afternoon

同義詞
  • raw

    informal; cold air feels rough on your skin

  • bitter

    stronger; very sharp, painful cold

  • chilly

    milder; only somewhat cold, not unpleasant in the same way

反義詞
  • balmy

    pleasantly warm and gentle

  • mild

    weather that is not cold or harsh

用法筆記

Subject is usually weather, a day, a morning, or a season — not a single warm-weather event. Often paired with words like 'wind', 'rain', or 'grey sky' in the same sentence.

常見錯誤

❌It was a bleak summer afternoon at the pool.
✅It was a bleak winter afternoon at the harbour.
💡bleak weather suggests cold and grey, so it sounds wrong with sunny summer scenes.

3. describing a situation, future, or set of chances that seems likely to bring bad

3.形容詞C2
釋義

describing a situation, future, or set of chances that seems likely to bring bad results, so people see almost no reason to feel hopeful.

例句

After three rounds of layoffs, the future looked bleak for younger engineers at the company.

collocation: the future looks bleak

Doctors gave Aunt Rosa a bleak diagnosis and said the next year would be hard.

noun pattern: a bleak diagnosis / outlook / prognosis

同義詞
  • grim

    very similar; often slightly more dramatic and worrying

  • gloomy

    softer; more about a sad mood than zero hope

  • dire

    stronger; suggests the situation is urgent and very serious

  • hopeless

    stronger; says clearly that nothing can be done

反義詞
  • promising

    looks likely to lead to something good

  • rosy

    informal; cheerfully positive about the future

  • bright

    full of hopeful possibilities

文法句型

the [noun] looks/seems bleak

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 (a physical place) and sense 2 (weather): here the subject is abstract — future, outlook, prospects, chances, situation, picture. Frequently appears with linking verbs (look, seem, feel) and in the fixed phrase 'paint a bleak picture'.

常見錯誤

❌The party was bleak because nobody came.
✅The future of the party looked bleak because nobody came.
💡use bleak for ongoing situations or prospects, not for a single event that simply went badly.