bleary

American  

[bleer-ee] / ˈblɪər i /

adjective

blearier, bleariest

1. (of the eyes or sight) blurred or dimmed, as from sleep or weariness.

2. indistinct; unclear.

   The day begins with a bleary view of one's world.

3. fatigued; worn-out.

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bleary British  

/ ˈblɪərɪ /

adjective

1. (of eyes or vision) dimmed or blurred, as by tears or tiredness

2. indistinct or unclear

3. exhausted; tired

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Other Word Forms

• blearily adverb
• bleariness noun

Etymology

Origin of bleary

1350–1400; Middle English blery. See blear (adj.), -y ¹

Explanation

Something that's bleary is dull, tired, or unfocused. Your eyes might be too bleary first thing in the morning to focus on the newspaper — at least before you've had a cup of coffee. Bleary almost always describes a person's eyes, although you can also use it simply to mean blurred or exhausted. A day spent traveling from Asia to North America can leave you with bleary eyes, and so can a night of crying after the death of your beloved dog. The word bleary comes from a now-obsolete adjective, blear, "watery or rheumy," which may share a root with the German blerre, "having blurred vision."

Example Sentences

She was clad in a sweatshirt and bleary from the early hour.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

It's a lively home, with three dogs and four young children, and Arpineh's husband and mother are bleary eyed and exhausted with worry, trying to put on brave faces.

From BBC • Jul. 9, 2025

Instead, my laptop greeted my bleary eyes with a font of good tidings.

From Slate • Mar. 8, 2025

The Atlanta rapper Future and superproducer Metro, each known for dark, bleary styles that defined the 2010s, have had a fruitful collaboration going back more than a decade.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2024

My gaze leaped from bleary note to blotted slur, none yielding music, none quitting me of clamor.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson