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myopia

[mahy-oh-pee-uh]
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noun
  1. Ophthalmology. a condition of the eye in which parallel rays are focused in front of the retina, objects being seen distinctly only when near to the eye; nearsightedness (opposed to hyperopia).
  2. lack of foresight or discernment; obtuseness.
  3. narrow-mindedness; intolerance.
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Origin of myopia

1685–95; < New Latin < Greek myōpía, equivalent to myōp- (stem of mýōps) near-sighted, literally, blinking (mý(ein) to shut + ṓps eye) + -ia -ia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

fixationobsessionmonomaniamyopiashortsightedness

Examples from the Web for myopia

Historical Examples

  • The most prevalent of these maladies are spinal curvature and myopia.

    Spontaneous Activity in Education

    Maria Montessori

  • This myopia was destined to have the most vital influence on his art.

  • The author's view is evidently distorted by biographer's myopia.

    The Beginners of a Nation

    Edward Eggleston.

  • It is, at the very least, as difficult to become a member of Myopia as of the Royal and Ancient.

    The Happy Golfer

    Henry Leach

  • Myopia, I am told, will use the black ball with joy when there is a candidate at the doors.

    The Happy Golfer

    Henry Leach

British Dictionary definitions for myopia

myopia

noun
  1. inability to see distant objects clearly because the images are focused in front of the retina; short-sightedness
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Derived Formsmyopic (maɪˈɒpɪk), adjectivemyopically, adverb

Word Origin

C18: via New Latin from Greek muōps short-sighted, from mūein to close (the eyes), blink + ōps eye
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

Word Origin and History for myopia

n.

"short-sightedness," 1727, medical Latin, from Late Greek myopia "near-sightedness," from myops "near-sighted," literally "closing the eyes," from myein "to shut" (see mute (adj.)) + ops (genitive opos) "eye" (see eye (n.)).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
myopia in Medicine

myopia

(mī-ō′pē-ə)
n.
  1. A visual defect in which distant objects appear blurred because their images are focused in front of the retina rather than on it; nearsightedness; shortsightedness.
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Related formsmy•op′ic (-ŏp′ĭk, -ō′pĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
myopia in Science

myopia

[mī-ō′pē-ə]
  1. A defect of the eye that causes light to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it, resulting in an inability to see distant objects clearly. Myopia is often caused by an elongated eyeball or a misshapen lens. Also called nearsightedness Compare hyperopia.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
myopia in Culture

myopia

[(meye-oh-pee-uh)]

Nearsightedness. Myopia is a visual defect in which light that enters the eye is focused in front of the retina rather than directly on it, so that distant objects appear blurred. Myopia can be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or LASIK.

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Note

The term is often used to indicate an inability to see into the future: “The new policy is incredibly myopic, and puts future generations at a great disadvantage for the sake of a few short-term gains.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.