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)

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)

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

• blightingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of blight

First recorded in 1605–15; of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Now frozen by British sanctions, the properties have fallen into disrepair, the overgrown lots a blight on an upscale street lined with manicured gardens and iron gates.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

What struck me instead is how ably Garbus presents what Rupert Murdoch and men like him have wrought as not just a blight on society but a pox on all our houses, including his own.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026

The trial is just the latest in a long line of controversies to blight the once-revered abode, which is currently owned by developer Steven “Bo” Belmont, CEO of “real estate crowdfunding firm” Belwood Investments.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026

Naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham CBE, who was also at the protest, rejected the venue's claims and called it "a blight on the reputation of London's attractions".

From BBC • Oct. 19, 2025

Wheat got sick, so Sapiens had to keep a watch out for worms and blight.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

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