bleakly

bleak ¹  (blk)

adj. bleak·er, bleak·est

1.

a. Gloomy and somber: "Life in the Aran Islands has always been bleak and difficult" (John Millington Synge).

b. Providing no encouragement; depressing: a bleak prospect.

2. Cold and cutting; raw: bleak winds of the North Atlantic.

3. Exposed to the elements; unsheltered and barren: the bleak, treeless regions of the high Andes.

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[Middle English bleik, pale, from Old Norse bleikr, white; see bhel-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

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bleakly adv.

bleakness n.

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bleak ²  (blk)

n. pl. bleak or bleaks

A small European freshwater fish of the genus Alburnus that is related to the carp and has silvery scales used in the manufacture of artificial pearls.

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[Middle English bleke, probably alteration (influenced by bleke, pale) of *blay, from Old English blge.]

Thesaurus

Adv.

1.

bleakly - without hope; "he wondered bleakly"