What does "bleak" mean?

Bleak: Desolate and exposed; swept by cold winds. Wastes too bleak to rear The common growth of earth, the foodful ear. Wordsworth. At daybreak, on the bleak sea beach. Longfellow.

Additional senses

2.Cold and cutting; cheerless; as, a bleak blast. -- Bleak"ish, a. -- Bleak"ly, adv. -- Bleak"ness, n.
3.A small European river fish (Leuciscus alburnus), of the family Cyprinidæ; the blay. [Written also blick.] Note: The silvery pigment lining the scales of the bleak is used in the manufacture of artificial pearls. Baird.

Sources

Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00