snow blindness

Save This Word!

noun

the usually temporary dimming of the sight caused by the glare of reflected sunlight on snow.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of snow blindness

First recorded in 1740–50

OTHER WORDS FROM snow blindness

snow-blind

[snoh-blahynd], /ˈsnoʊˌblaɪnd/, adjective

Words nearby snow blindness

snowbelt, snowberry, snowbird, snowblading, snow-blind, snow blindness, snowblink, snow blower, snowboard, snowboarding, snowbound

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use snow blindness in a sentence

Not quite, but at one point the temperature registered 29 below zero, with 21 inches of snow.
Speed Read: The Juiciest Bits From the History of ‘Purple Rain’|Jennie Yabroff|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But mostly they just walked, their faces somber, their hands shaking as the snow began to fall.
Justice League Vigil for Slain NYPD Officers Asks Whose Life Matters|Olivia Nuzzi|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was snow on the ground when I made my last trip to see Sheffield.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I think there's too much snow in Finland at the present time,” he announces.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Because the American film industry is based in the sun bleached sands of Southern California, movies rarely feature snow.
Dinner at Nitehawk Cinema: ‘Christmas Vacation’ and a Beer in a Pear Tree|Rich Goldstein|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From that region they issue to inflict diseases, especially blindness and deafness.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway
To advance in such circumstances was out of the question, he therefore set about building a miniature hut of snow.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
By his commandment he maketh the snow to fall apace, and sendeth forth swiftly the lightnings of his judgment.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
At the foot of the pass, the valley widened a little, though still with steep, snow-capped cliffs crowding it on either side.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
I would not just then have traded off that steamboat for several square miles of snow-capped sublimity.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley

Medical definitions for snow blindness

snow blindness

[ snō ]

A usually temporary loss of vision and inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea caused by exposure to bright sunlight and ultraviolet rays reflected from snow or ice.

Other words from snow blindness

snow′-blind′ null adj.