bland Hear it!

bland Definition

bland (bland)

adjective

  1. pleasantly smooth in manner; suave
  2. mild and soothing; not sharp, harsh, etc. bland medicine
  3. tasteless, insipid, dull, etc.

Etymology: L blandus, mild, prob. < IE base *mḷdu-, soft, var. of *mel-: see mill

bland Related Forms

blandly adverb bland·ness noun

bland Idioms

bland out

Informal to remove or omit distinctive characteristics; make or become vapid

bland Synonyms

bland

modif.

  1. Suave

    affable, agreeable, urbane; see pleasant 1, suave.

  2. Mild

    soothing, soft, smooth; see mild 4.

  3. Temperate; said especially of weather

    calm, clear, balmy; see mild 2.

  4. Flavorless

    flat, dull, insipid; see tasteless 1. See syn. study at soft, suave.

bland Usage Examples

Preposition: by

comparison: British pottery was somewhat bland by comparison to the European manufacturers.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • find: Recommended for those who find most worship leaders bland.
  • make: An elevated threshold for taste may make food taste bland or boring.

Modifies a noun

  • uniformity: This does not have to mean a bland uniformity of pop, rock or punk music.
  • reassurance: Why would humans prefer to ignore the evidence in favor of bland reassurance?
  • exterior: Despite a bland exterior, celery is rich with potential.
  • smile: He looked his incredulity at Daniel who returned him a bland smile.
  • assurance: The usual bland assurances were received from the Jarvis employees present about improvement.
  • diet: It's not so long ago that bland diets were in vogue.

Modifying Another Word

  • disappointingly: They're convenient, but their cool, watery flavor is disappointingly bland.
  • rather: James Bond spoof all to sell a rather bland car!
  • fairly: In fact, the subject matter turned out to be fairly bland, with only a couple of exceptions.
  • somewhat: They were sent to bed down amid the somewhat bland safety of the city's new town, to the north.
  • incredibly: John Motson passed his sell by date at least two World Cups ago while the ITV bods sound incredibly bland.
  • pretty: No one from the cast stands out - they are all pretty bland one-dimensional people with little distinguishing features.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: By contrast, the Abstract of the paper, much more widely read - seems seriously bland.
  • taste: The food industry is trying to slowly cut down on salt without making things taste too bland.
  • look: To stop the room looking bland you can introduce a lamp or rug in a vibrant aqua shade.
  • become: By chasing profit, you become more bland, " is Duncan's take.
  • get: We get more bland, more lacking in imagination, more lack of anything even slightly new.