blindness

[blahynd-nis]

noun

1. the inability to see; the condition of having severely impaired or absolutely no sense of sight.

   Patients are first asked if their blindness is congenital or the result of injury or disease.

2. an unwillingness or inability to perceive or understand; lack of judgment; ignorance.

   Your blindness to this behavior has allowed his anxiety to worsen.

blindness

1. A lack or impairment of vision in which maximal visual acuity after correction by refractive lenses is one-tenth normal vision or less in the better eye. Blindness can be genetic but is usually acquired as a result of injury, cataracts, or diseases such as glaucoma or diabetes. In Asia and Africa, trachoma is a common infectious cause of blindness.

Word History and Origins

Origin of blindness¹

First recorded before 1000; blind ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

So a taxpayer who is at least age 65 and blind could claim the standard deduction, the supplements for both age and blindness, and also the new $6,000 senior bonus deduction.

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"Every now and again she would be in a lesson, and she would ask to leave because she needed a break and she would forget the time because she has time blindness," she said.

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They recalled tales of labor abuse and on-the-job injuries, including permanent blindness.

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It’s a tip of the hat to willful blindness, lack of critical thought and historical illiteracy.

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Too much vitamin A can cause liver damage, blindness, and dire abnormalities during fetal development.

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Related Words

• defect 
• myopia