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

Watch enough football and every commercial break becomes an exercise in bleary déjà vu, as the spots that bowed in the first quarter begin repeating on you like so many lager burps. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 12 Sep. 2025

Eternity mines its compelling conceit for both peppery comedy and bleary sentiment. —Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025

The track captures a bleary feeling of trying to have fun but getting pulled into melancholy. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 26 July 2025

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

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