Dictionary

bland en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Canada) audio
• /blænd/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• [bleənd] ~ [blɛənd] General American, Canada, æ-raising
• /bland/ (British, Northern-England, Scotland, Southern, Standard, Wales)
• /blɛnd/ (New-Zealand)
• [bleːnd] ~ [blɛːnd] Australia, æ-raising
• /blæːnd/ (Australia)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mel- Proto-Indo-European *meld- Proto-Indo-European *mland-der. Latin blandusbor. English bland Borrowed from Latin blandus (“pleasant”).

Meanings

1. Having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating.
   • a bland diet
   • a bland oil
2. Lacking in taste or flavor.
   • The coffee was bland.
3. Lacking in vigor.
   • First and foremost, alternative country artists generally claim to reject mainstream country music as musically indistinguishable from bland pop music, as lyrically superficial, and as having no artistic merit […] 2012, John Shepherd, David Horn, Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World:
4. (figuratively) Lacking interest; boring; dull.
   • bland comment
   • He's reading Balzac and knocking back Prozac / It's a helping hand that makes you feel wonderfully bland 1996, “Country House”, in The Great Escape, performed by Blur:
5. (archaic) Mild; soft, gentle, balmy; smooth in manner; suave.
   • “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron;[…]. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, and from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache. 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
   • Where didst thou find, young Bard, thy sounding lyre? / Where the bland accent, and the tender tone? 1818, John Keats, Sonnet:

Forms

Deriveds

blandscape · blanding · blandly · blandoid · blandify · blandfest · blandish · blandness · blandiose · blandsome

Synonyms

dull · sapidless · gustless · lackluster · prosy · uncolorful · tame · colourless · dingy · ho-hum · commonplace · uninteresting · uncool · leaden · mindless · faint · anodyne · wallowish · sober · corny · vanilla · dull as dishwater · prosaic · bland · humdrum · lackluster · dreich · banal · no fun at parties · waugh · colourless · flaggy · cardboard · pedantic · tasteless · flat · wersh · boring · heavy going · wallow · bland · flavorless · dull · bland · beat · insipid · muddy · lame · basic · blah · vapid · tedious · watery · stodgy · static · tasteless · wooden · soporific · unsavory · anodyne · drab · weaksauce · plodding · wan · plain · dim · untasteable · savorless · lifeless · tame · ingustible · sad · insipid · languid · wan · snoozeworthy · cold · wan · mundane · flat · intastable · vapid · smackless · straightforward · monotonous · wearish · drowsy · pedestrian · longsome · unholiday · stuffy · mawkish · lackluster

Translations (119)

sv mild (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · nl zacht (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · bg успокоя́ващ (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · mi mākihakiha (lacking in taste or flavor) · fr douce (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · fi mitäänsanomaton (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · ru безвку́сный (lacking in taste or flavor) · pl nijaki (lacking in taste or flavor) · ebk lamset (lacking in taste or flavor) · it insipido (lacking in taste or flavor) · pt suave (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · fi väritön (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · xdq анццу́ (lacking in taste or flavor) · gl suave (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · ota لذتسز (lacking in taste or flavor) · nl flauw (lacking in taste or flavor) · pl mdły (lacking in taste or flavor) · ru прия́тный (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · sv svag (lacking in taste or flavor) · fr doux (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · tl matabang (lacking in taste or flavor) · hy անհամ (lacking in taste or flavor) · de stumpfsinnig ((fig.) lacking interest; boring; dull) · sv fadd (lacking in taste or flavor) · pl blady (lacking in taste or flavor) · es aguado (lacking in taste or flavor) · fr fade (lacking in taste or flavor) · sv blid (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · de mild (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · ru скучный ((fig.) lacking interest; boring; dull) · pt insosso (lacking in taste or flavor) · es desabrido (lacking in taste or flavor) · de blass (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · nl mild (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · fr doux (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · it blando (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · sv mild (lacking in taste or flavor) · de gelassen (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · es desabrido (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · el ήπιος (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · fi mieto (lacking in taste or flavor) · de geschmacklos (lacking in taste or flavor) · bg ла́скав (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · es insulso (lacking in taste or flavor) · fi mitäänsanomaton (lacking in taste or flavor) · de reizlos (med.) (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · de langweilig (lacking in taste or flavor) · sv vän (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · ro pritenos (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · nl zacht (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · fi mitäänsanomaton (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · nl smaakloos (lacking in taste or flavor) · cs mdlý (lacking in taste or flavor) · ro blând (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · nl mild (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · de sanftmütig (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · ru пре́сный (lacking in taste or flavor) · es desaborido (lacking in taste or flavor) · el πράος (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · bcl matabang (lacking in taste or flavor) · bg не́жен (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · es soso (lacking in taste or flavor) · ro gentil (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · ru ла́сковый (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · it blando (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · nb smakløs (lacking in taste or flavor) · sv intetsägande (lacking in taste or flavor) · bg прия́тен (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · es ñoño (lacking in taste or flavor) · mi makiha (lacking in taste or flavor) · fi vaisu (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · fr douce (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · de hohl ((fig.) lacking interest; boring; dull) · pl bezbarwny (lacking in taste or flavor) · ota یاوان (lacking in taste or flavor) · el άνοστος (lacking in taste or flavor) · vi nhạt (lacking in taste or flavor) · ru неинтере́сный ((fig.) lacking interest; boring; dull) · es suave (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · de sanft (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · nb intetsigende (lacking in taste or flavor) · ia blande (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · el απαλός (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · de geistlos ((fig.) lacking interest; boring; dull) · vi lạt (lacking in taste or flavor) · pl łagodny (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · ru не́жный (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · de fad (lacking in taste or flavor) · el άγευστος (lacking in taste or flavor) · ro prietenos (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · sv tam (lacking in taste or flavor) · fi mauton (lacking in taste or flavor) · ru успока́ивающий (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · pt suave (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · it fiacco (lacking in taste or flavor) · fa بیمزه (lacking in taste or flavor) · sv lam (lacking in taste or flavor) · el μαλακός (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · pl uspokajający (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · pl delikatny (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · sv smaklös (lacking in taste or flavor) · ro prevenitor (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · cmn 乏味的 (lacking in taste or flavor) · el ήπιος (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · da sød (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · mi waimeha (lacking in taste or flavor) · ko 싱겁다 (lacking in taste or flavor) · lad shavdo (lacking in taste or flavor) · pdt fleiw (lacking in taste or flavor) · bg мек (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · sv mild (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · ro liniștitor (having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating) · pl bez smaku (lacking in taste or flavor) · ru мя́гкий (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · uk безсма́ковий (lacking in taste or flavor) · de platt ((fig.) lacking interest; boring; dull) · bg безвку́сен (lacking in taste or flavor) · ro afabil (mild; soft; gentle; smooth in manner; suave) · ota طاتسز (lacking in taste or flavor)

bland en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Canada) audio
• /blænd/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• [bleənd] ~ [blɛənd] General American, Canada, æ-raising
• /bland/ (British, Northern-England, Scotland, Southern, Standard, Wales)
• /blɛnd/ (New-Zealand)
• [bleːnd] ~ [blɛːnd] Australia, æ-raising
• /blæːnd/ (Australia)

Etymology

From Middle English blanden, blonden, from Old English blandan (“to blend, mix, mingle; trouble, disturb, corrupt”), from Proto-Germanic *blandaną (“to mix, blend”). Cognate with Icelandic blanda, Norwegian, Danish blande, Swedish blanda. See also blend.

Meanings

1. (UK, dialectal, transitive) To mix; blend; mingle.
2. (UK, dialectal, transitive) To connect; associate.

Forms

bland en · NOUN · etymology 3

Pronunciation

• (Canada) audio
• /blænd/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• [bleənd] ~ [blɛənd] General American, Canada, æ-raising
• /bland/ (British, Northern-England, Scotland, Southern, Standard, Wales)
• /blɛnd/ (New-Zealand)
• [bleːnd] ~ [blɛːnd] Australia, æ-raising
• /blæːnd/ (Australia)

Etymology

From Middle English bland, from Old English bland, blond (“blending, mixture, confusion”), from Proto-Germanic *blandą (“a mixing, mixture”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰlendʰ- (“to grow turbid, dim, see badly, be blind”). Cognate with Icelandic blanda (“a mixture of liquids, especially of hot whey and water”).

Meanings

1. (UK, countable, dialectal, uncountable) Mixture; union.
2. (countable, uncountable) A summer beverage prepared from the whey of churned milk, common among the inhabitants of the Shetland Islands.

Forms

Coordinates

koumiss · kefir

Deriveds

in bland

Hypernyms

fermented milk product