bleary-eyed
Americanadjective
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having bleary eyes.
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dull of perception; shortsighted.
adjective
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with eyes blurred, as with old age or after waking
-
physically or mentally unperceptive
Etymology
Origin of bleary-eyed
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Eastern on July 20, bleary-eyed kids were rousted from their beds so they could tell their grandchildren they witnessed an epic event.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Time to move out and grow up, we thought, or at least channel more time into bleary-eyed Football Manager saves.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
By the time dinner was over, the last thing I wanted to do was return to the kitchen — which meant greeting the wreckage the next morning, bleary-eyed, just trying to make coffee.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025
So there he sat, parked and bleary-eyed, a young father getting his PhD in coaching, unsure whether to go inside and sleep or turn the truck around.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2025
Lack of sleep made him even more bleary-eyed than usual.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
