Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

smeary

American  
[smeer-ee] / ˈsmɪər i /

adjective

smearier, smeariest
  1. showing smears; smeared.

  2. tending to smear or soil.


smeary British  
/ ˈsmɪərɪ /

adjective

  1. smeared, dirty; blurred by smearing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of smeary

First recorded in 1520–30; smear + -y 1

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.

See Examples For:

The eeriest costume this Halloween season would be Aunt Gladys, with her odd copper wig, oversized sunglasses, blue eyeshadow, and smeary red lipstick.

From Slate Oct. 31, 2025

Alongside Carti on their collaborations “Timeless” and “Rather Lie,” Tesfaye grounded his pal’s smeary Atlanta noise with evilly pretty melody.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 26, 2025

In what might be the video’s climax, a slow-motion, smeary animation of a figure in a fluorescent ghillie suit starts raving to deep, pulsing bass.

From New York Times Nov. 10, 2022

The 4-megapixel UDC still looks fairly smeary, and I’d only use it as a last resort.

From The Verge Aug. 17, 2022

Mom turns on the wipers and they make a smeary film.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training