bland
Plain and boring, without much taste or interest.
bland in a sentence
- The soup was so bland that even a mountain of pepper could not save it.
- Amir found the film so bland and boring that he fell asleep before the middle.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to bland?
- Aspicy
- Btasty
- Cplain
- Dexciting
Show the answer
C: plain. The other three mean the opposite of bland.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to bland?
- Adull
- Btasty
- Cplain
- Dboring
Show the answer
B: tasty. The other three mean nearly the same as bland.
Words that mean something similar
plain, dull, boring
Words that mean the opposite
tasty, exciting, spicy
Careful: bland is not insipid
Bland is not always a complaint. Insipid always is. Read why children mix them up.
More words about appearance & looks
- bleary: Tired-looking and unable to see clearly.
- blemish: A small mark or fault that spoils how something looks.
- blunt: Not sharp, or saying things in a very direct way.
- brawny: Strong and full of muscles.
- brittle: Hard but easily snapped or broken.
- burly: Big, strong and heavily built.
- camouflage: The colours or patterns that help something blend in and hide.
- charred: Burnt and blackened on the outside.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test