blur

Meaning

Verb

1. To make indistinct or hazy, to obscure or dim.
2. To smear, stain or smudge.
3. (intransitive) To become indistinct.
4. To cause imperfection of vision in; to dim; to darken.
5. (obsolete, transitive) To sully; to stain; to blemish, as reputation.
6. (transitive) To transfer the input focus away from.
7. To use a sign, image, expression, etc. sufficiently close to a trademarked one that it causes confusion between them.

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) A smear, smudge or blot.
2. (countable, uncountable) Something that appears hazy or indistinct.
3. (uncountable) Haziness, blurriness.
4. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) A moral stain or blot.

Adj

Lacking awareness; clueless or confused.

Synonyms

blot

dim

obscure

stain

haze

spot

confuse

smear

smudge

fog

🌫️

fuzz

cloud

☁️

mist

run

obnubilate

glaze over

slur

indistinctness

bedaub

benight

dimness

obfuscate

dusk

blear

fade

film over

smirch

smut

blemish

speck

fuzziness

splotch

spread

fuzzy

turbidness

bedim

imbrue

smutch

sully

taint

turbidity

discolorise

discolorize

discolourise

be hazy

be misty

be dull

be dim

be indistinct

be obscure

Translations

vervagen

brouiller

entelar

borrón

verschwimmen

estomper

flou

borrão

entelar-se

desdibuixar

empañar

difuminar

desdibuixar-se

verwischen

verschleiern

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈblɜː(ɹ)/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: bleren

Inherited from Old English: *blerian

Cognate with Scots: blore

Cognate with Low German: bleeroged

In summary

From earlier blurre, probably an alteration of blear, from Middle English bleren, from Old English *blerian (attested in āblered (“made bare, made bald”)), from Proto-West Germanic *blaʀjan, from Proto-Germanic *blazjaną (“to make pale”), from Proto-Germanic *blasaz (“pale”). Compare Scots blore, bloar (“to blur, cover with blots”), Low German bleeroged (“blear-eyed”). More at blear.