Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Indistinct or hazy in appearance: Used to describe something that is not clear or sharp in outline, often because it is seen through tears, sleep, or a lack of focus.
   • Tired to the point of exhaustion: Used to describe eyes or a person that appear weary, unfocused, and heavy-lidded, typically from lack of sleep or fatigue.

Usage Examples

• Describing vision or appearance:
  • He peered at the map with bleary eyes after the long drive.
  • The streetlights were just bleary smudges in the thick fog.
• Describing exhaustion:
  • She gave a bleary yawn and stumbled out of bed.
  • The bleary travelers finally arrived at the hotel at dawn.

Advanced Usage

• "bleary-eyed": This is a common compound adjective describing someone whose eyes are tired and vision is unfocused.
  • The bleary-eyed students struggled to focus on the early morning lecture.
• "bleary with sleep/tears": A phrase used to specify the cause of the indistinct vision or tired appearance.
  • Her face was bleary with tears.
  • He was still bleary with sleep when he answered the phone.

Variants and Related Words

• Blear (verb, archaic/formal): To make (the eyes or vision) dim or blurred.
  • Tears bleared her vision.
• Blearily (adverb): In a bleary manner.
  • He looked blearily around the room.

Synonyms

• Blurred: Lacking clear outline or definition.
• Hazy: Covered by a haze; vague or indistinct.
• Misty: Full of or covered with mist; dim.
• Fuzzy: Having a frizzy, fluffy, or indistinct texture or outline.
• Weary: Feeling or showing tiredness.

Antonyms

• Clear: Easy to perceive, understand, or interpret; sharp in outline.
• Distinct: Recognizably different in nature from something else; clear and definite.
• Alert: Quick to notice any unusual and potentially dangerous or difficult circumstances; vigilant.
• Rested: Having regained one's energy by sleeping or relaxing.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• To have a bleary view of something: To have an unclear or unfocused understanding of a situation.
  • After reading the complex report once, I only had a bleary view of the main issues.
• Bleary from lack of sleep: A common collocation explaining the cause of the condition.
  • The new parents were bleary from lack of sleep.

Adjective

1. indistinct or hazy in outline
   • a landscape of blurred outlines
   • the trees were just blurry shapes
2. tired to the point of exhaustion