blight

[ blahyt ]

/ blaɪt /

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See synonyms for: blight / blighted 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.

SYNONYMS FOR blight

2 curse, plague, scourge, bane.

See synonyms for blight on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of blight

First recorded in 1605–15; of uncertain origin

OTHER WORDS FROM blight

blight·ing·ly, adverbun·blight·ed, adjectiveun·blight·ed·ly, adverbun·blight·ed·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for blight

The ruling will bring back attention to a scandal that blighted the final years of the reign of 76 year-old King Juan Carlos.
Spanish Princess Likely To Face Corruption Charges|Tom Sykes|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Shelley circle was shockingly blighted by death in the period following the Geneva gathering.
The Man Who Invented Vampires and the Creepiest Literary Gathering Ever|Emma Garman|November 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His wanderings through the blighted landscape are accompanied by thoughts of resurrection and renewal.
Jeffrey Eugenides Hails Donald Antrim’s 'Elect Mr. Robinson for a Better World'|Jeffrey Eugenides|June 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Could they have done more for their blighted communities than simply build personal fiefdoms and live large?
How Will African-American Clergy React to Obama’s ‘Evolution’ on Same-Sex Marriage?|Mansfield Frazier, Larry Durstin|May 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The result is that the district combines the blighted row houses of The Wire and horse country.
5 Things to Watch in Maryland’s Republican Primary|Ben Jacobs|April 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
How many blighted buds there are for every full-blown flower or ripened fruit!
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow
The danger with long engagements is that they often do not end in matrimony, and in such a case a young girl's future is blighted.
Friend Mac Donald|Max O'Rell
A vague hope brought me here, and I confess that, when I saw this hope blighted, my first thought was of revenge.
The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence|Eugne Sue
When the crop sprang up which he had himself helped to sow, he blighted it.
The Two Great Republics: Rome and the United States|James Hamilton Lewis
Cloud, that hast revealed to us this young creature and her blighted hopes, close up again.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol 58, No. 357, July 1845|Various

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.

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