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

This can cause sudden partial or complete blindness in one or both eyes.

From Science Daily • May 23, 2026

Where the blindness becomes astonishing is that the actual military situation isn’t the one being described to us with unhealthy delight.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Tatel is legally blind and seemingly feared that the justice would act with factual blindness.

From Slate • May 7, 2026

Mange is a common issue for foxes, especially during winter, with many foxes dying or being left with serious injuries such as blindness.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

Despite night blindness, the Pole Star would follow, sniffing at them with its radar arrays.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

Related Words

• defect
• myopia