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

• tired
• exhausted
• weary

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

Villagran Trump warns Republicans against cutting too deep As bleary senators worked through the massive GOP bill, Trump warned Republicans against going overboard on unpopular cuts. —Bart Jansen, USA Today, 1 July 2025

Stewart has made an assured mess: a bleary, florid and sometimes lyrical film that could stand to be doused by a bucket of ice water. —Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2025

Photos of my kid's birthday parties are no longer me with bleary, sleepy drinking eyes. —Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025

Weinstein often looked haggard and out of it — unshaven, mouth ajar, eyes bleary. —Phoebe Eaton, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bleary

• bleary-eyed

Rhymes for bleary

• beery
• cheery
• cirri
• dearie
• deary
• dreary
• eerie
• kiri
• leary
• leery
• peery
• query

Medical Definition

bleary

adjective

ˈbli(ə)r-ē 

of the eyes or vision

: dull or dimmed especially from fatigue or sleep