nearsighted

American  

[neer-sahy-tid, -sahy-] / ˈnɪərˌsaɪ tɪd, -ˈsaɪ- /

adjective

1. seeing distinctly at a short distance only; myopic.

2. shortsighted.

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Other Word Forms

• nearsightedly
  adverb
• nearsightedness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of nearsighted

First recorded in 1680–90; near + sight + -ed ³

Compare meaning

How does nearsighted compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• nearsighted vs. farsighted

Explanation

If you're nearsighted, you can't read distant signs or maybe even distinguish between different people from far away. Nearsighted people need to wear glasses, especially when they're driving. When someone is "farsighted," they see far-off objects well, but have trouble with close-up things like the print in a book or newspaper. In contrast, being nearsighted means you can read a magazine with no problem, but you need contacts or glasses in order to bring distant objects into focus. A more formal word for nearsighted is myopic.

Example Sentences

The Nearsighted Nine are wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong.

From Washington Post • Aug. 25, 2021

Nearsighted old Mother Anticoli was not sure at first whether it was really Celeste.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nearsighted, silent, excruciatingly shy, Conrad Aiken is a serious, hard-working poet who occasionally ventures into prose.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nearsighted, extremely polite, he stammers. cannot pronounce the letter R, keeps bad language out of his talk, does not spare it in his books.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nearsighted persons are apt to stoop, owing to the habitual necessity for coming close to the object looked at.

From The Home Medical Library, Volume II (of VI) by Winslow, Kenelm