Adjacent Words

Blur definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BLUR, n. [L.luridus.] A dark spot; a stain; a blot, whether upon paper or other substance, or upon reputation.
BLUR, v.t. To obscure by a dark spot, or by any foul matter, without quite effacing.
1. To sully; to stain; to blemish; as, to blur reputation.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a hazy or indistinct representation; "it happened so fast it was just a blur"; "he tried to clear his head of the whisky fuzz" [syn: blur, fuzz] v
1: become glassy; lose clear vision; "Her eyes glazed over from lack of sleep" [syn: film over, glaze over, blur]
2: to make less distinct or clear; "The haze blurs the hills" [ant: focus]
3: make unclear, indistinct, or blurred; "Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions" [syn: confuse, blur, obscure, obnubilate]
4: make a smudge on; soil by smudging [syn: smear, blur, smudge, smutch]
5: make dim or indistinct; "The fog blurs my vision" [syn: blur, blear] [ant: focalise, focalize, focus, sharpen]
6: become vague or indistinct; "The distinction between the two theories blurred" [syn: blur, dim, slur] [ant: focalise, focalize, focus]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: perhaps akin to Middle English bleren to blear Date: 1519 1. a smear or stain that obscures 2. something vaguely or indistinctly perceived; especially something moving or occurring too quickly to be clearly perceived II. verb (blurred; blurring) Date: 1520 transitive verb 1. to obscure or blemish by smearing 2. sully 3. to make dim, indistinct, or vague in outline or character 4. to make cloudy or confused intransitive verb 1. to make blurs 2. to become vague or indistinct • blurringly adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. (blurred, blurring) 1 tr. & intr. make or become unclear or less distinct. 2 tr. smear; partially efface. 3 tr. make (one's memory, perception, etc.) dim or less clear. --n. something that appears or sounds indistinct or unclear. Derivatives: blurry adj. (blurrier, blurriest). Etymology: 16th c.: perh. rel. to BLEAR

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Blur Blur, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blurred; p. pr. & vb. n. Blurring.] [Prob. of same origin as blear. See Blear.] 1. To render obscure by making the form or outline of confused and uncertain, as by soiling; to smear; to make indistinct and confused; as, to blur manuscript by handling it while damp; to blur the impression of a woodcut by an excess of ink. But time hath nothing blurred those lines of favor Which then he wore. --Shak. 2. To cause imperfection of vision in; to dim; to darken. Her eyes are blurred with the lightning's glare. --J. R. Drake. 3. To sully; to stain; to blemish, as reputation. Sarcasms may eclipse thine own, But can not blur my lost renown. --Hudibras. Syn: To spot; blot; disfigure; stain; sully.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Blur Blur (bl[^u]r), n. 1. That which obscures without effacing; a stain; a blot, as upon paper or other substance. As for those who cleanse blurs with blotted fingers, they make it worse. --Fuller. 2. A dim, confused appearance; indistinctness of vision; as, to see things with a blur; it was all blur. 3. A moral stain or blot. Lest she . . . will with her railing set a great blur on mine honesty and good name. --Udall.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(blurs, blurring, blurred) 1. A blur is a shape or area which you cannot see clearly because it has no distinct outline or because it is moving very fast. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a blur of movement on the other side of the glass... Her face is a blur. N-COUNT: oft N of n 2. When a thing blurs or when something blurs it, you cannot see it clearly because its edges are no longer distinct. This creates a spectrum of colours at the edges of objects which blurs the image... If you move your eyes and your head, the picture will blur. VERB: V n, V • blurred ...blurred black and white photographs. ADJ 3. If something blurs an idea or a distinction between things, that idea or distinction no longer seems clear. ...her belief that scientists are trying to blur the distinction between 'how' and 'why' questions... = obscure VERB: V n • blurred The line between fact and fiction is becoming blurred. ADJ 4. If your vision blurs, or if something blurs it, you cannot see things clearly. Her eyes, behind her glasses, began to blur... Sweat ran from his forehead into his eyes, blurring his vision. VERB: V, V n • blurred ...visual disturbances like eye-strain and blurred vision. ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Blot, stain, spot, blemish, soil, tarnish, defect. 2. Confusion (of vision), dim and uncertain spot, confused glimmer. 3. Blot, stain, disgrace, spot, blemish, blotch. II. v. a. 1. Obscure, darken, dim, bedim, partially erase. 2. Tarnish, stain, blot, sully, spot, blemish.

Moby Thesaurus

aspersion, attaint, badge of infamy, bar sinister, baton, becloud, bedaub, bedim, befog, bend sinister, besmear, besmirch, besmoke, bestain, black eye, black mark, blacken, blear, bleariness, bloodstain, blot, blotch, blur distinctions, blurriness, brand, broad arrow, censure, champain, cloud, cloudiness, conceal, confound, confuse, dab, darken, darkness, daub, defocus, deform, dim, dimness, dirty, discolor, disorder, disparagement, distort, efface, eyesore, faintness, feebleness, film, filminess, fleck, flick, flyspeck, fog, fog up, fogginess, fuzz, fuzziness, half-visibility, haze, haziness, hide, imputation, indefiniteness, indistinctness, indistinguishability, jumble, jumble together, lose resolution, low profile, macula, maculation, macule, mark, mark of Cain, mask, mess up, mist, mistiness, mix, muddle, muddy, obfuscate, obscure, obscurity, odium, onus, overlook distinctions, pale, paleness, patch, pillorying, point champain, reflection, reprimand, reproach, scorch, sear, semivisibility, shadowiness, singe, slubber, slur, smear, smirch, smoke, smouch, smudge, smut, smutch, soft focus, soften, soil, spatter, speck, speckle, splash, splatter, splotch, spot, stain, stigma, stigmatism, stigmatization, stigmatize, taint, tar, tarnish, tumble, uncertainty, unclearness, unform, unplainness, unshape, vague appearance, vagueness, veil, weaken, weakness