bleared

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparableliteraryold-fashioned

   Having eyes that are blurred, watery, or unable to see clearly, often from tiredness or tears.

   Grammar: Used mainly before a noun or after a linking verb: 'bleared eyes' or 'his eyes were bleared'.

   Patterns

   • bleared eyes
   • bleared with tears
   • eyes bleared

   He looked up with bleared eyes after the long night.

   Her vision was bleared by tears.

   The old man's bleared gaze fixed on the fire.

2. 2adjectivenot comparableliteraryold-fashioned

   Made dim or unclear, as if covered by a film or mist.

   Grammar: Often describes glass, windows, or light.

   Patterns

   • bleared glass
   • bleared light
   • bleared window

   The bleared window let in only a gray light.

   A bleared mist covered the valley.

   The mirror was bleared with steam.

Word forms

Common combinations

bleared eyes

He rubbed his bleared eyes and tried to read.

bleared with tears

Her face was bleared with tears.

bleared vision

The illness left him with bleared vision.

Synonyms and how they differ

blurred

Blurred is the everyday word for something not clear; bleared is more literary and often suggests watery or tired eyes.

dim

Dim means not bright or not clear; bleared specifically suggests a film or mist over the eyes or glass.

cloudy

Cloudy can describe unclear liquids or skies; bleared is used mostly for eyes or glass and sounds old-fashioned.

Opposites

Word family

blear verb

To make dim or blurred (rare).

blearily adverb

In a tired, blurred way, as in 'She looked blearily at the clock.'

Commonly confused: bleared or bleared vs. blurred?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “bleared”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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