blindness

American  

[blahynd-nis] / ˈblaɪnd nɪs /

noun

1. the inability to see; the condition of having severely impaired or absolutely no sense of sight.

   Patients are first asked if their blindness is congenital or the result of injury or disease.

2. an unwillingness or inability to perceive or understand; lack of judgment; ignorance.

   Your blindness to this behavior has allowed his anxiety to worsen.

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blindness Scientific  

/ blīnd′nĭs /

1. A lack or impairment of vision in which maximal visual acuity after correction by refractive lenses is one-tenth normal vision or less in the better eye. Blindness can be genetic but is usually acquired as a result of injury, cataracts, or diseases such as glaucoma or diabetes. In Asia and Africa, trachoma is a common infectious cause of blindness.

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Etymology

Origin of blindness

First recorded before 1000; blind ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

The effort to be identity-blind, he writes, can “cause a certain blindness: not seeing the conditions of life that people deal with because they have an identity.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

One woman, who has face blindness, has difficulty watching films with more than four characters, but her companion helped to explain who is who when she got confused.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

The answer isn’t ideological blindness so much as methodological constraint.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of vision loss and blindness among Americans age 65 and older.

From Science Daily • Jan. 9, 2026

“I am suffering from a temporary blindness induced by trauma,” said William Spiver.

From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo

Related Words

• defect
• myopia