bleary

adjective

ˈblir-ē 

1

of the eyes or vision : dull or dimmed especially from fatigue or sleep

2

: poorly outlined or defined : dim

a bleary view

3

: very tired

bleary travelers

blearily

ˈblir-ə-lē 

adverb

bleariness

ˈblir-ē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• all in
• aweary [archaic]
• beat
• beaten
• burned-out
• burnt-out
• bushed
• dead
• done
• drained
• exhausted
• fatigued
• jaded
• knackered [British]
• limp
• logy
• loggy
• played out
• pooped [slang]
• prostrate
• spent
• tapped out
• tired
• tuckered (out)
• washed-out
• wearied
• weary
• wiped out
• worn
• worn-out

Examples of bleary in a Sentence

She looked at me with bleary eyes.

disoriented, bleary passengers departing from the red-eye

Recent Examples on the Web

In the early, bleary days of parenthood, I was congratulated for relaying the vaguest details of my son’s whereabouts and received pats on the back for explaining the origin of his name. —Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 16 June 2024

Among the most intriguing pieces is a painting on aluminum with partly overlapping rectangles that contain both crisp and bleary elements. —Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024

The second night of back-to-back games on an Eastern road swing Friday night will include some bleary eyes when the Warriors (31-27) visit the Toronto Raptors (22-37). —Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024

The smell of decomposition hung so heavily over the base that a bearded volunteer, eyes bleary but kind, offered eucalyptus oil to sprinkle inside masks. —Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bleary

• bleary-eyed

Medical Definition

bleary

adjective

ˈbli(ə)r-ē 

of the eyes or vision

: dull or dimmed especially from fatigue or sleep