adj · noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/bliːk/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -iːk
CMU ARPABET:B L IY1 K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Without color; pale; pallid.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
A small European river fish (Alburnus alburnus), of the family Cyprinidae.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: sea chameleon
Antonyms: none provided
5
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
offering little or no hope- J.M.Synge
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the future looked black
prospects were bleak
Life in the Aran Islands has always been bleak and difficult
took a dim view of things
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: black, dim
Antonyms: none provided
6
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
providing no shelter or sustenance
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
bare rocky hills
barren lands
the bleak treeless regions of the high Andes
the desolate surface of the moon
a stark landscape
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bare, barren, desolate, stark
Antonyms: none provided
7
adjective satellite
Meaning 7
unpleasantly cold and damp
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
bleak winds of the North Atlantic
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cutting, raw
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English bleke (also bleche, whence the English doublet bleach (“pale, bleak”)), and bleike (due to Old Norse), and earlier Middle English blak, blac (“pale, wan”), from Old English blǣc, blǣċ, blāc (“bleak, pale, pallid”) and Old Norse bleikr (“pale, whitish”), all from Proto-Germanic *blaikaz (“pale, shining”). Cognate with Dutch bleek (“pale, wan, pallid”), Low German blek (“pale”), German bleich (“pale, wan, sallow”), Danish bleg (“pale”), Swedish blek (“pale, pallid”), Norwegian Bokmål bleik, blek (“pale”), Norwegian Nynorsk bleik (“pale”), Faroese bleikur (“pale”), Icelandic bleikur (“pale, pink”).
From Middle English bleke (“small river fish, bleak, blay”), perhaps an alteration (due to Old English blǣc (“bright”) or Old Norse bleikja) of Old English blǣġe (“bleak, blay, gudgeon”); or perhaps from a diminutive of Middle English *bleye (“blay”), equivalent to blay + -ock or blay + -kin. See blay.
Across languages
Translations
174 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
դժգույն
(džguyn)
— without color
Bulgarian:
блед
(bled)
— without color
Bulgarian:
безцветен
(bezcveten)
— without color
Catalan:
pàl·lid
— without color
Chinese Mandarin:
苍白
(cāngbái)
— without color
Czech:
bledý
— without color
Danish:
bleg
— without color
Dutch:
bleek
— without color
Dutch:
kleurloos
— without color
Estonian:
kaame
— without color
Estonian:
kahvatu
— without color
Estonian:
plass
— without color
Finnish:
kalpea
— without color
Finnish:
väritön
— without color
French:
morne
— without color
French:
terne
— without color
Georgian:
უფერული
(uperuli)
— without color
Georgian:
ფერმკრთალი
(permḳrtali)
— without color
German:
farblos
— without color
German:
bleich
— without color
German:
ausgeblichen
— without color
Greek:
άχρωμος
(áchromos)
— without color
Italian:
pallido
— without color
Italian:
incolore
— without color
Portuguese:
pálido
— without color
Romanian:
palid
— without color
Romanian:
spălăcit
— without color
Russian:
бесцве́тный
(bescvétnyj)
— without color
Russian:
бле́дный
(blédnyj)
— without color
Sicilian:
giarnu
— without color
Sicilian:
sbiancatu
— without color
Sicilian:
sghiancatu
— without color
Spanish:
sin color
— without color
Spanish:
pálido
— without color
Swedish:
blek
— without color
Swedish:
färglös
— without color
Turkish:
solgun
— without color
Turkish:
soluk
— without color
Turkish:
renksiz
— without color
Ukrainian:
бліди́й
(blidýj)
— without color
Armenian:
դժգույն
(džguyn)
— desolate and exposed
Bulgarian:
гол
(gol)
— desolate and exposed
Bulgarian:
открит
(otkrit)
— desolate and exposed
Catalan:
desolat
— desolate and exposed
Catalan:
erm
— desolate and exposed
Chinese Mandarin:
荒凉
(huāngliáng)
— desolate and exposed
Chinese Mandarin:
冷清
(lěngqīng)
— desolate and exposed
Czech:
neutěšený
— desolate and exposed
Czech:
nehostinný
— desolate and exposed
Czech:
pustý
— desolate and exposed
Dutch:
desolaat
— desolate and exposed
Dutch:
guur
— desolate and exposed
Finnish:
karu
— desolate and exposed
Finnish:
paljas
— desolate and exposed
Georgian:
ღია
(ɣia)
— desolate and exposed
Georgian:
დაუცველი
(daucveli)
— desolate and exposed
Georgian:
მოტიტვლებული
(moṭiṭvlebuli)
— desolate and exposed
German:
öde
— desolate and exposed
German:
ungeschützt
— desolate and exposed
German:
trostlos
— desolate and exposed
German:
kahl
— desolate and exposed
German:
karg
— desolate and exposed
German:
desolat
— desolate and exposed
Greek:
έρημος
(érimos)
— desolate and exposed
Greek:
ψυχρός
(psychrós)
— desolate and exposed
Irish:
argail
— desolate and exposed
Irish:
dearóil
— desolate and exposed
Italian:
desolato
— desolate and exposed
Kazakh:
сүреңсіз
(süreñsız)
— desolate and exposed
Manx:
meayl
— desolate and exposed
Māori:
hāhā
— desolate and exposed
Māori:
mōwai
— desolate and exposed
Māori:
hahore
— desolate and exposed
Māori:
tūhea
— desolate and exposed
Portuguese:
desolado
— desolate and exposed
Romanian:
pustiu
— desolate and exposed
Russian:
го́лый
(gólyj)
— desolate and exposed
Russian:
откры́тый
(otkrýtyj)
— desolate and exposed
Russian:
незащищённый
(nezaščiščónnyj)
— desolate and exposed
Scottish Gaelic:
lom
— desolate and exposed
Sicilian:
ngustiatu
— desolate and exposed
Spanish:
desolado
— desolate and exposed
Spanish:
yermo
— desolate and exposed
Armenian:
դժգույն
(džguyn)
— cheerless
Bulgarian:
мрачен
(mračen)
— cheerless
Bulgarian:
безрадостен
(bezradosten)
— cheerless
Catalan:
amargat
— cheerless
Catalan:
pansit
— cheerless
Chinese Mandarin:
黯淡
(àndàn)
— cheerless
Chinese Mandarin:
惨淡
(cǎndàn)
— cheerless
Chinese Mandarin:
淒涼 /凄凉
(qīliáng)
— cheerless
Czech:
neradostný
— cheerless
Czech:
bezútěšný
— cheerless
Czech:
pochmurný
— cheerless
Dutch:
vreugdeloos
— cheerless
Finnish:
synkkä
— cheerless
Finnish:
kolkko
— cheerless
French:
morne
— cheerless
German:
freudlos
— cheerless
German:
trostlos
— cheerless
German:
trübe
— cheerless
German:
düster
— cheerless
German:
desolat
— cheerless
Greek:
άχαρος
(ácharos)
— cheerless
Greek:
θλιβερός
(thliverós)
— cheerless
Greek:
άθλιος
(áthlios)
— cheerless
Irish:
dearóil
— cheerless
Italian:
triste
— cheerless
Italian:
misero
— cheerless
Italian:
infelice
— cheerless
Kazakh:
көңілсіз
(köñılsız)
— cheerless
Kazakh:
жабырқаңқы
(jabyrqañqy)
— cheerless
Kazakh:
құлазыған
(qūlazyğan)
— cheerless
Māori:
mōkinokino
— cheerless
Portuguese:
desanimado
— cheerless
Romanian:
palid
— cheerless
Romanian:
dezolat
— cheerless
Romanian:
trist
— cheerless
Russian:
мра́чный
(mráčnyj)
— cheerless
Russian:
безра́достный
(bezrádostnyj)
— cheerless
Scottish Gaelic:
gruamach
— cheerless
Sicilian:
mischinu
— cheerless
Sicilian:
nfilici
— cheerless
Spanish:
sin alegría
— cheerless
Spanish:
amargado
— cheerless
Swedish:
dyster
— cheerless
Turkish:
kasvetli
— cheerless
Turkish:
kara
— cheerless
Albanian:
gjuhcë
— small European river fish
Albanian:
cironkë
— small European river fish
Albanian:
cime
— small European river fish
Albanian:
korobace
— small European river fish
Bulgarian:
уклей
(uklej)
— small European river fish
Bulgarian:
блескач
(bleskač)
— small European river fish
Catalan:
alburn
— small European river fish
Czech:
ouklej obecná
— small European river fish
Dutch:
alver
— small European river fish
Estonian:
viidikas
— small European river fish
Finnish:
salakka
— small European river fish
French:
ablette
— small European river fish
German:
Laube
— small European river fish
German:
Ukelei
— small European river fish
Greek:
σίρκο
(sírko)
— small European river fish
Hungarian:
küsz
— small European river fish
Hungarian:
szélhajtó küsz
— small European river fish
Hungarian:
sneci
— small European river fish
Ingrian:
ukleikka
— small European river fish
Italian:
alborella
— small European river fish
Italian:
alburno
— small European river fish
Komi-Zyrian:
бадькормык
(baďkormyk)
— small European river fish
Komi-Zyrian:
бадькор
(baďkor)
— small European river fish
Komi-Zyrian:
шаклей
(šakľej)
— small European river fish
Latin:
alburnus
— small European river fish
Latin:
albica
— small European river fish
Latvian:
vīķe
— small European river fish
Luxembourgish:
Aalbes
— small European river fish
Eastern Mari:
мыле
(myĺe)
— small European river fish
Eastern Mari:
вишкыле
(viškyĺe)
— small European river fish
Eastern Mari:
шапкагол
(šapkagol)
— small European river fish
Western Mari:
сильди
(siĺdi)
— small European river fish
Mazanderani:
اسلف
(aslef)
— small European river fish
Mazanderani:
اسلک
(aslek)
— small European river fish
Old English:
blǣġe
— small European river fish
Polish:
ukleja
— small European river fish
Portuguese:
alburnete
— small European river fish
Russian:
укле́йка
(ukléjka)
— small European river fish
Serbo-Croatian:
uklija
— small European river fish
Spanish:
albur
— small European river fish
Spanish:
alburno
— small European river fish
Swedish:
löja
— small European river fish
Turkish:
akkefal
— small European river fish
Udmurt:
бадькуар
(baďkuar)
— small European river fish
Udmurt:
вувылчорыг
(vuvylćoryg)
— small European river fish
Ukrainian:
верхово́дка
(verxovódka)
— small European river fish