blight

American  

[blahyt] / blaɪt /

noun

1. Plant Pathology.

   1. the rapid and extensive discoloration, wilting, and death of plant tissues.

   2. a disease so characterized.

2. any cause of impairment, destruction, ruin, or frustration.

   Extravagance was the blight of the family.

   Synonyms:

   bane, scourge, plague, curse

3. the state or result of being blighted or deteriorated; dilapidation; decay.

   urban blight.

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verb (used with object)

blights, present (3rd person singular) blighted, past participle, past blighting present participle

1. to cause to wither or decay; blast.

   Frost blighted the crops.

2. to destroy; ruin; frustrate.

   Illness blighted his hopes.

verb (used without object)

blights, present (3rd person singular) blighted, past participle, past blighting present participle

1. to suffer blight.

blight British  

/ blaɪt /

noun

1. any plant disease characterized by withering and shrivelling without rotting See also potato blight

2. any factor, such as bacterial attack or air pollution, that causes the symptoms of blight in plants

3. a person or thing that mars or prevents growth, improvement, or prosperity

4. an ugly urban district

5. the state or condition of being blighted or spoilt

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verb

1. to cause or suffer a blight

2. (tr) to frustrate or disappoint

3. (tr) to spoil; destroy

blight Scientific  

/ blīt /

1. Any of numerous plant diseases that cause leaves, stems, fruits, and tissues to wither and die. Rust, mildew, and smut are blights.

2. The bacterium, fungus, or virus that causes such a disease.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• blightingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• blighting
  present
• blighted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• blight
  simple
• blights
  simple
• have blighted
  perfect
• has blighted
  perfect
• am blighting
  progressive
• are blighting
  progressive
• is blighting
  progressive
• have been blighting
  perfect progressive
• has been blighting
  perfect progressive

Past

• blighted
  simple
• had blighted
  perfect
• was blighting
  progressive
• were blighting
  progressive
• had been blighting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will blight
  simple
• will have blighted
  perfect
• will be blighting
  progressive
• will have been blighting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of blight

First recorded in 1605–15; of uncertain origin

Explanation

A blight is a disease that hurts plants and makes their leaves wither. It can also affect neighborhoods. Urban blight refers to a part of the city where things are falling apart. Blight rhymes with bright, but it’s the opposite of sunshine; instead of making plants grow, it cripples them. The Irish Potato Famine was an example of a blight. In 1845, more than a third of the potato crops were ruined. The plants turned black and their leaves dried up and people who relied on potatoes for most of their meals also withered and experienced extreme hardship and hunger. You might want to think of it this way: a blight makes people — or plants — fight for their lives.

Example Sentences

While many saw blight at the corner of Colorado Boulevard and Holbrook Street, a local artist saw opportunity.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026

Fly-tipping incidents continue to blight areas right across Wales, with figures released earlier this year the highest since 2009.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026

NCST, a nonprofit that aims to boost affordable housing and fight neighborhood blight, praised provisions related to preservation and rehabilitation.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 22, 2026

The pandemic was and is a blight on compassion.

From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026

"Thankfully, the blight that's wiped out the other parks hasn't hit here. Yet."

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Related Words

• affliction
• canker
• decay
• eyesore
• fungus
• infestation
• mildew
• pest
• scourge