shortsighted
Americanadjective
-
unable to see far; nearsighted; myopic.
-
lacking in foresight.
a shortsighted plan.
- Synonyms:
- improvident, careless, heedless, unthinking
- Antonyms:
- prudent
Other Word Forms
- shortsightedly adverb
- shortsightedness noun
Etymology
Origin of shortsighted
First recorded in 1615–25
Explanation
If you're shortsighted, you do something without considering the long-term effects of your actions. It's shortsighted to eat a massive snack at 5:30 when you promised your grandmother you'd come for dinner at 6. A city council might make the shortsighted decision to save money this year by drastically cutting the school budget. They're so focused on right now that they neglect to think about the negative consequences for students. Such a shortsighted action might even hurt the city itself in the future, when people move away in search of better-funded schools. In the UK, shortsighted also means "nearsighted," but in North America the more figurative meaning is most common.
Vocabulary lists containing shortsighted
Compound Fracture
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Part 2 Vocabulary (Unit 5)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Samantha Stevens, a Los Angeles political consultant and former legislative staffer, said she is worried the proposed changes are a shortsighted solution to address police abuses that will create another layer of bureaucracy.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
That is a little shortsighted because 75-to-80% of our content is proprietary and not visible to any LLM.
From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026
The primary loser of such an admissions cap would be American universities, which, through shortsighted financial management, have become dependent on foreign students who pay full tuition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026
That view was shortsighted then, and it is now.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 6, 2026
Only the most shortsighted, however, failed to recognize that electronic computers were around for the long haul.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
