blight

[ blahyt ]

/ blaɪt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: blight / blighted / blighting on Thesaurus.com

noun

Plant Pathology.

the rapid and extensive discoloration, wilting, and death of plant tissues.
a disease so characterized.

any cause of impairment, destruction, ruin, or frustration: Extravagance was the blight of the family.

the state or result of being blighted or deteriorated; dilapidation; decay: urban blight.

verb (used with object)

to cause to wither or decay; blast: Frost blighted the crops.

to destroy; ruin; frustrate: Illness blighted his hopes.

verb (used without object)

to suffer blight.

OTHER WORDS FOR blight

2 curse, plague, scourge, bane.

See synonyms for blight on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of blight

First recorded in 1605–15; of uncertain origin

OTHER WORDS FROM blight

blight·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby blight

blew, blewit, blewits, Blida, Bligh, blight, blighted, blighter, blighty, bliksem, blimey

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use blight in a sentence

The department is hopeful the signs will raise awareness among city residents about the challenges of tackling vacancies and blight.
Baltimore using QR codes for vacant homes|Christine Condon|July 7, 2021|Washington Post
Property values, concentrated poverty, blight and all those kinds of things also map really well.
'Haunted Countries Deserve Haunted Stories.' How America's History of Racial Housing Discrimination Inspired Amazon's New Horror Series THEM|Megan McCluskey|April 9, 2021|Time
Raised in a household with an abusive father, he left home early to live on the streets of New York, surviving as a teen hustler in a city ravaged by some of the worst crime and economic blight in its history.
‘Wojnarowicz’ burns with a queer icon’s brilliant fury|John Paul King|March 24, 2021|Washington Blade
Instead, Klacik made herself a national sensation with a series of viral videos about urban blight in the Maryland 7th that she parlayed into a primetime speaking slot at the Republican National Convention.
The Strongest House Candidates In 2020 Were (Mostly) Moderate|Nathaniel Rakich (nathaniel.rakich@fivethirtyeight.com)|March 23, 2021|FiveThirtyEight

The state holds an annual peach festival, even though it ceased to be the nation’s largest peach producer, due to a blight, more than a century ago.
Lovely, little Delaware — long famous for corporations, chickens and credit cards — is ready for its big moment|Karen Heller|January 12, 2021|Washington Post
For the uninitiated, the film is set on a future Earth whose crops (save corn) have been wiped out by a mysterious blight.
Neil deGrasse Tyson Breaks Down ‘Interstellar’: Black Holes, Time Dilations, and Massive Waves|Marlow Stern|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Was part of the attraction to the project shining a light in this bizarre blight on America?
The Resurrection of Kristen Stewart|Marlow Stern|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She paints the current rodent situation as more than a foul inconvenience, and one that is a particular blight on poorer areas.
Crowdsourcing NYC’s War on Rats|Kevin Zawacki|June 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the process, he captured the true spirit of Detroit and its people, all bankruptcy, crime, and urban blight aside.
The All-American Photographer Takes on Detroit|Erin Cunningham|June 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Increasingly, cities long left to rot are rising from the ashes of blight as they try to become shining examples of new urbanism.
A Tech Millionaire Bets on the Urban Revival of Downtown Las Vegas|Sarah Kunst|January 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is still mademoiselle, with her new-formed friends in Paris—may a pestilence blight them all!
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
The country around Llangollen was beautiful, but the memory of the hotel leaves a blight over all.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy
Tokyo might fall under the blight of progress, but Kano would hold to the traditions of his race.
The Dragon Painter|Mary McNeil Fenollosa
Is not one bitter trouble sufficient to blight all of a sudden the most peaceful and happy life?
Superstition In All Ages (1732)|Jean Meslier
Out in the vegetable area there were first cutworms and then drought and potato blight to be contended with.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for blight

blight

/ (blaɪt) /

noun

any plant disease characterized by withering and shrivelling without rottingSee also potato blight

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

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

an ugly urban district

the state or condition of being blighted or spoilt

verb

to cause or suffer a blight

(tr) to frustrate or disappoint

(tr) to spoil; destroy

Word Origin for blight

C17: perhaps related to Old English blǣce rash; compare bleach

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for blight

blight

[ blīt ]

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

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

blight

OTHER WORDS FOR blight

Origin of blight

OTHER WORDS FROM blight

Words nearby blight

Words related to blight

How to use blight in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for blight

Word Origin for blight

Scientific definitions for blight