CHEERLESS Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'cheerless' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cheerless are bleak , desolate , dismal , dreary , and gloomy . While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering. // a drab and cheerless office

Q: When could 'bleak' be used to replace 'cheerless'?

The meanings of bleak and cheerless largely overlap; however, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten. // the bleak years of the depression

Q: Where would 'desolate' be a reasonable alternative to 'cheerless'?

In some situations, the words desolate and cheerless are roughly equivalent. However, desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect. // a desolate outpost

Q: When is it sensible to use 'dismal' instead of 'cheerless'?

While in some cases nearly identical to cheerless , dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess. // dismal weather

Q: When might 'dreary' be a better fit than 'cheerless'?

The synonyms dreary and cheerless are sometimes interchangeable, but dreary , often interchangeable with dismal , emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility. // a dreary job

Q: When is 'gloomy' a more appropriate choice than 'cheerless'?

While the synonyms gloomy and cheerless are close in meaning, gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise. // gloomy war news

cheerless

adjective

ˈchir-ləs

Definition of cheerless

as in bleak

causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer a dank and cheerless castle that was once the site of unspeakable horrors

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the adjective cheerless contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cheerless are bleak, desolate, dismal, dreary, and gloomy. While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

When could bleak be used to replace cheerless?

The meanings of bleak and cheerless largely overlap; however, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

Where would desolate be a reasonable alternative to cheerless?

In some situations, the words desolate and cheerless are roughly equivalent. However, desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

When is it sensible to use dismal instead of cheerless?

While in some cases nearly identical to cheerless, dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

When might dreary be a better fit than cheerless?

The synonyms dreary and cheerless are sometimes interchangeable, but dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

When is gloomy a more appropriate choice than cheerless?

While the synonyms gloomy and cheerless are close in meaning, gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cheerless The storm let up before daybreak, but the morning was gray and cheerless with a cold wind. — Elwyn "bud" Myers, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 2026 Gomez gestured across the street toward 100 Centre Street—the criminal courthouse, a cheerless Art Deco building the color of cinder blocks. — Sarah Lustbader, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025 Election polls may seem cheerless, inscrutable, and wrapped in data and murky terminology. — W. Joseph Campbell, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024 Wedged between the cheerless skyscrapers of Third Avenue and an uncharming stretch of Second, just blocks north of the bro bars of Murray Hill, is a row of nine townhouses. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 2 Aug. 2024 Their lives had been expended in cheerless labor, there wills broken, their intelligences numbed. — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 5 July 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheerless

Adjective

But some analysts forecast a bleak future for Democrats in the right-leaning district.

— Annie Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026
The Herons' chances of advancing were already bleak after entering the match 12th in the MLS standings following their loss to Monterrey.

— CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of bleak

Adjective

What brought him back to this sad, lonely spot after an entire decade?

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
Cycle north along the beach to Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park, where hiking trails, lonely sands, picnic sites, and kayak rentals fronting a freshwater lake await.

— Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of lonely

Adjective

For the past four decades, July was always a somber month for the McDonalds, a reminder of the moment that changed their family's lives.

— Ali Bauman, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Less than two months after her historic victory to become Japan’s first female prime minister, Takaichi Sanae stood before a bank of microphones and opposition lawmakers, looking somber.

— Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 29 July 2026

Definition of somber

Adjective

Things take a dark turn, however, after a series of unexplainable deaths draw Hal and John to a small town in Nebraska.

— Matt Minton, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
Way back in 2012, Supreme collaborated on another Air Force 1 with a dark green camo canvas upper, box logo hangtag and gum outsole that can hit the $1,000 range on resale platforms.

— Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of dark

Adjective

Romano’s wry, hangdog default demeanor suits his character, Joe, a father of two who’s separated from his wife (Penelope Ann Miller) and living in a depressing motel.

— Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
The simple, rather depressing, and completely overwhelming fact of the matter is that the Marvel Cinematic Universe cannot be ignored, even as superhero fatigue has definitively set in at the global box office.

— David Sims, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026

Definition of depressing

Adjective

The desolate landscape and little human occupation thereafter helped preserve the rock art through centuries of exposure to wind, rain, and sun.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026
In July 1991, Gerard Dorsey was gunned down in an alley off North Brice Street in a desolate West Baltimore alley.

— Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of desolate

Adjective

Most women with postpartum psychosis develop manic and depressive symptoms that can come close together or overlap.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
In a 2025 study of older parents, being cut off from an adult child was associated with poorer well-being and a reduced sense of purpose, as well as greater depressive symptoms.

— Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of depressive

Adjective

Both are powerful spots of natural beauty and deep cultural significance, but for a less solemn outing, the little islet of Ojima sits neatly between the two.

— Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2026
After seeing corrupt cops rewarded with medals and politics debase his best friend, now the courts can’t even be trusted to perform their solemn duty.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of solemn

Browse Nearby Words

cheerleaders

cheerless

cheerlessly

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“Cheerless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheerless. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of cheerless

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