blindness

American  

[blahynd-nis] / ˈblaɪnd nɪs /

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 Scientific  

/ blīnd′nĭs /

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of blindness

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

Example Sentences

Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at 18, Petrou later advocated for “EyeBonds” and tax incentives to fund blindness research.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

Over time, it can lead to serious complications, including nerve damage, blindness, coma, and even death.

From Science Daily • Mar. 2, 2026

The answer isn’t ideological blindness so much as methodological constraint.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

Previous additions include Barbie dolls with Type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome and blindness.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026

It was so dark that I wondered, as I had many times before, if this was what blindness felt like—this enveloping void.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Related Words

• defect
• myopia