grim

dreary

ˈdrɪəri

adjective

depressingly dull and bleak or repetitive.

the dreary round of working, eating, and trying to sleep

dull,drab,uninteresting,flat,dry,banal,bland,insipid,colourless,lifeless,sterile,tedious,wearisome,boring,unexciting,unstimulating,uninspiring,desolate,vapid,jejune,bloodless,soul-destroying,as dry as dust,humdrum,routine,monotonous,uneventful,run-of-the-mill,prosaic,pedestrian,commonplace,everyday,unexceptional,unremarkable,quotidian,unvaried,repetitive,featureless,ho-hum,sad,miserable,depressing,grim,gloomy,glum,sombre,grave,doleful,mournful,melancholic,joyless,cheerless,wretched,dismal,bleak,dark,dingy,murky,overcast

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dreariest

ˈdrɪəri

adjective

depressingly dull and bleak or repetitive.

the dreary round of working, eating, and trying to sleep

dull,drab,uninteresting,flat,dry,banal,bland,insipid,colourless,lifeless,sterile,tedious,wearisome,boring,unexciting,unstimulating,uninspiring,desolate,vapid,jejune,bloodless,soul-destroying,as dry as dust,humdrum,routine,monotonous,uneventful,run-of-the-mill,prosaic,pedestrian,commonplace,everyday,unexceptional,unremarkable,quotidian,unvaried,repetitive,featureless,ho-hum,sad,miserable,depressing,grim,gloomy,glum,sombre,grave,doleful,mournful,melancholic,joyless,cheerless,wretched,dismal,bleak,dark,dingy,murky,overcast

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drearier

ˈdrɪəri

adjective

depressingly dull and bleak or repetitive.

the dreary round of working, eating, and trying to sleep

dull,drab,uninteresting,flat,dry,banal,bland,insipid,colourless,lifeless,sterile,tedious,wearisome,boring,unexciting,unstimulating,uninspiring,desolate,vapid,jejune,bloodless,soul-destroying,as dry as dust,humdrum,routine,monotonous,uneventful,run-of-the-mill,prosaic,pedestrian,commonplace,everyday,unexceptional,unremarkable,quotidian,unvaried,repetitive,featureless,ho-hum,sad,miserable,depressing,grim,gloomy,glum,sombre,grave,doleful,mournful,melancholic,joyless,cheerless,wretched,dismal,bleak,dark,dingy,murky,overcast

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dreadful

ˈdrɛdfʊl
ˈdrɛdf(ə)l

adjective

causing or involving great suffering, fear, or unhappiness; extremely bad or serious.

there’s been a dreadful accident

terrible,frightful,horrible,grim,awful,dire,frightening,terrifying,horrifying,alarming,distressing,shocking,appalling,harrowing,ghastly,fearful,hideous,horrendous,monstrous,unspeakable,gruesome,tragic,calamitous,grievous,grisly,terrific

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dour

ˈdʊə
ˈdaʊə

adjective

relentlessly severe, stern, or gloomy in manner or appearance.

a hard, dour, humourless fanatic

stern,unsmiling,unfriendly,frowning,poker-faced,severe,forbidding,morose,sour,gruff,surly,uncommunicative,grim,gloomy,dismal,sullen,sombre,grave,sober,serious,solemn,austere,mean-looking,stony,unsympathetic,disapproving

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dispirits

dɪˈspɪrɪt

verb

cause (someone) to lose enthusiasm or hope.

the army was dispirited by the uncomfortable winter conditions

dishearten,discourage,demoralize,cast down,make dejected,make downhearted,depress,dismay,disappoint,daunt,deter,unman,unnerve,crush,sap,shake,throw,cow,subdue,undermine,dampen someone’s spirits,bring low,knock sideways,knock the stuffing out of,knock for six,give someone the blues,deject,disheartened,discouraged,demoralized,downcast,low,low-spirited,dejected,downhearted,depressed,disconsolate,crushed,shattered,sapped,shaken,thrown,cowed,subdued,blue,fed up,brassed off,cheesed off,disheartening,depressing,discouraging,disappointing,daunting,disenchanting,demoralizing,unfavourable,inauspicious,off-putting,pessimistic,hopeless,grim,dismal,gloomy,sombre,cheerless,black,morbid,dejecting

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dispirit

dɪˈspɪrɪt

verb

cause (someone) to lose enthusiasm or hope.

the army was dispirited by the uncomfortable winter conditions

dishearten,discourage,demoralize,cast down,make dejected,make downhearted,depress,dismay,disappoint,daunt,deter,unman,unnerve,crush,sap,shake,throw,cow,subdue,undermine,dampen someone’s spirits,bring low,knock sideways,knock the stuffing out of,knock for six,give someone the blues,deject,disheartened,discouraged,demoralized,downcast,low,low-spirited,dejected,downhearted,depressed,disconsolate,crushed,shattered,sapped,shaken,thrown,cowed,subdued,blue,fed up,brassed off,cheesed off,disheartening,depressing,discouraging,disappointing,daunting,disenchanting,demoralizing,unfavourable,inauspicious,off-putting,pessimistic,hopeless,grim,dismal,gloomy,sombre,cheerless,black,morbid,dejecting

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dismal

ˈdɪzm(ə)l

adjective

causing a mood of gloom or depression.

the dismal weather made the late afternoon seem like evening

dingy,dim,dark,gloomy,sombre,dreary,drab,dull,desolate,bleak,cheerless,comfortless,depressing,grim,funereal,inhospitable,uninviting,unwelcoming

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direst

ˈdʌɪə

adjective

extremely serious or urgent.

misuse of drugs can have dire consequences

terrible,dreadful,appalling,frightful,awful,horrible,atrocious,grim,unspeakable,distressing,harrowing,alarming,shocking,outrageous,grave,serious,grievous,disastrous,ruinous,calamitous,catastrophic,cataclysmic,devastating,crippling,miserable,wretched,woeful,hopeless,irretrievable,lousy,chronic,direful,parlous,urgent,desperate,pressing,crying,sore,extreme,acute,drastic,critical,crucial,vital

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direr

ˈdʌɪə

adjective

extremely serious or urgent.

misuse of drugs can have dire consequences

terrible,dreadful,appalling,frightful,awful,horrible,atrocious,grim,unspeakable,distressing,harrowing,alarming,shocking,outrageous,grave,serious,grievous,disastrous,ruinous,calamitous,catastrophic,cataclysmic,devastating,crippling,miserable,wretched,woeful,hopeless,irretrievable,lousy,chronic,direful,parlous,urgent,desperate,pressing,crying,sore,extreme,acute,drastic,critical,crucial,vital

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dire

ˈdʌɪə

adjective

extremely serious or urgent.

misuse of drugs can have dire consequences

terrible,dreadful,appalling,frightful,awful,horrible,atrocious,grim,unspeakable,distressing,harrowing,alarming,shocking,outrageous,grave,serious,grievous,disastrous,ruinous,calamitous,catastrophic,cataclysmic,devastating,crippling,miserable,wretched,woeful,hopeless,irretrievable,lousy,chronic,direful,parlous,urgent,desperate,pressing,crying,sore,extreme,acute,drastic,critical,crucial,vital

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dingy

ˈdɪn(d)ʒi

adjective

gloomy and drab.

a dingy room

gloomy,drab,dark,dull,badly/poorly lit,dim,dismal,sombre,grim,dreary,cheerless,dirty,discoloured,grimy,soiled,faded,shabby,dowdy,worn,seedy,run down,tacky,tenebrous

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dingiest

ˈdɪn(d)ʒi

adjective

gloomy and drab.

a dingy room

gloomy,drab,dark,dull,badly/poorly lit,dim,dismal,sombre,grim,dreary,cheerless,dirty,discoloured,grimy,soiled,faded,shabby,dowdy,worn,seedy,run down,tacky,tenebrous

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dingier

ˈdɪn(d)ʒi

adjective

gloomy and drab.

a dingy room

gloomy,drab,dark,dull,badly/poorly lit,dim,dismal,sombre,grim,dreary,cheerless,dirty,discoloured,grimy,soiled,faded,shabby,dowdy,worn,seedy,run down,tacky,tenebrous

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desolate

adjective

(of a place) uninhabited and giving an impression of bleak emptiness.

a desolate Pennine moor

barren,bleak,stark,bare,dismal,grim,desert,waste,arid,sterile,wild,windswept,inhospitable,exposed,deserted,uninhabited,unoccupied,depopulated,forsaken,godforsaken,abandoned,unpeopled,untenanted,evacuated,empty,vacated,vacant,unfrequented,unvisited,solitary,lonely,secluded,isolated,remote

verb

make (a place) appear bleakly empty.

the droughts that desolated the dry plains

devastate,ravage,ruin,make/leave desolate,leave in ruins,destroy,wreck,lay waste to,wreak havoc on,level,raze,demolish,wipe out,obliterate,annihilate,gut,depopulate,empty,depredate,spoliate

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depressing

dɪˈprɛsɪŋ

adjective

causing or resulting in a feeling of miserable dejection.

that thought is too depressing for words

upsetting,distressing,painful,heartbreaking,heart-rending,dispiriting,disheartening,discouraging,demoralizing,dismal,bleak,black,sombre,gloomy,grave,unhappy,melancholy,sad,saddening,wretched,doleful,daunting,disenchanting,unfavourable,morbid,blue,dejecting,distressful,lachrymose,dreary,grim,drab,dark,dingy,funereal,miserable,cheerless,joyless,comfortless,uninviting,drear

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deathly

ˈdɛθli

adjective

resembling or suggestive of death.

a deathly hush fell over the breakfast table

deathlike,corpse-like,cadaverous,ghostly,ghostlike,ghastly,grim,haggard,ashen,chalky,chalk white,white,pale,pallid,bloodless,colourless,wan,anaemic,pasty,sickly,drained,sapped,like death warmed up,peaky,etiolated

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comfortless

ˈkʌmfətlɪs

adjective

offering no means of relaxation and pleasure.

a comfortless prison

gloomy,dreary,dull,dismal,bleak,drab,grim,sombre,dark,dim,dingy,funereal,miserable,wretched,joyless,cheerless,unhappy,depressing,disheartening,dispiriting,unwelcoming,uninviting,inhospitable,austere,severe,stark,bare,spartan,desolate,clinical,institutional,impersonal

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cheerless

ˈtʃɪəlɪs

adjective

gloomy; depressing.

the corridors were ill-lit and cheerless

gloomy,dreary,dull,dismal,bleak,drab,grim,sombre,dark,dim,dingy,funereal,austere,stark,bare,desolate,comfortless,miserable,wretched,joyless,unhappy,depressing,disheartening,dispiriting,unwelcoming,uninviting,inhospitable,bland,clinical,institutional,impersonal

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careworn

ˈkɛːwɔːn

adjective

tired and unhappy because of prolonged worry.

a careworn expression

worried,anxious,harassed,strained,stressed,under pressure,overburdened,tired,drained,drawn,gaunt,grim,haggard,pinched,exhausted,sapped,spent,hassled

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austerest

/ɒˈstɪə/
/ɔːˈstɪə/

adjective

Severe or strict in manner or attitude.

he was an austere man, with a rigidly puritanical outlook

severe,stern,strict,harsh,unfeeling,stony,steely,flinty,dour,grim,cold,frosty,frigid,icy,chilly,unemotional,unfriendly,formal,stiff,stuffy,reserved,remote,distant,aloof,forbidding,mean-looking,grave,solemn,serious,unsmiling,unsympathetic,unforgiving,uncharitable

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austerer

/ɒˈstɪə/
/ɔːˈstɪə/

adjective

Severe or strict in manner or attitude.

he was an austere man, with a rigidly puritanical outlook

severe,stern,strict,harsh,unfeeling,stony,steely,flinty,dour,grim,cold,frosty,frigid,icy,chilly,unemotional,unfriendly,formal,stiff,stuffy,reserved,remote,distant,aloof,forbidding,mean-looking,grave,solemn,serious,unsmiling,unsympathetic,unforgiving,uncharitable

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austere

/ɔˈstɪr/

adjective

Severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance.

an austere man, with a rigidly puritanical outlook

severe,stern,strict,harsh,unfeeling,stony,steely,flinty,dour,grim,cold,frosty,frigid,icy,chilly,unemotional,unfriendly,formal,stiff,stuffy,reserved,remote,distant,aloof,forbidding,mean-looking,grave,solemn,serious,unsmiling,unsympathetic,unforgiving,uncharitable

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