as in defect
something that spoils the appearance or completeness of a thing
the expanding urban sprawl is a blight on the countryside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to damage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blight
Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
Like the aroma of roasted American chestnuts, a pipedream because a fungal blight rendered the trees extinct.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 16 Dec. 2024
Tom Howarth, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024
They have been blighted by injuries and are well below their best.
—Sam Lee, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blight
Noun
In 2021, Hard Rock International opened a three-hundred-million-dollar casino just off one of Gary’s interstates, and later donated three million dollars to the city’s effort to eradicate blight.
—Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
Like the aroma of roasted American chestnuts, a pipedream because a fungal blight rendered the trees extinct.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
Disruptions to health care services and changes in migration travel disruptions were cited as likely contributors to the increase, but the trend highlights the difficulty in eradicating the illness that has blighted societies for centuries.
—Tom Howarth, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024
They have been blighted by injuries and are well below their best.
—Sam Lee, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blight
Noun
-
About 1 percent of vehicles being recalled are affected by the defect, according to a notice issued Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
-
Teslas have infamously run right into the broadsides of trucks on Autopilot, but it’s been regularly ruled that is not any sort of defect in Autopilot, which is not designed to be or expected to be perfect at that task.—
Brad Templeton,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
But even though teams and equipment have been flown in from other nations, they are hindered by the airports in those cities being damaged and apparently unfit to land planes.—
Time,
Time,
29 Mar. 2025
-
Communication towers and water and electricity utilities were damaged, OCHA said.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Dark brown blotches with black edges dot its back, sometimes joining together to form bands.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Doctors could see white blotches and smears around those dark spaces, indicating lesions.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacramento Bee,
23 Mar. 2025
-
Institutions of higher learning, schools, churches, museums ruined.—
Askold Haywas,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The metaphor of showing her scars to him is a very literal metaphor, but she’s never felt the real love that comes from somebody truly seeing you.—
Brian Davids,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Evacuation warnings are already in place for several areas with burn scars from the Palisades and Eaton fires.—
Patrick Smith,
NBC News,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The Anti-Terrorism Act For more than three decades since Congress passed the Anti-Terrorism Act in 1992, U.S. citizens harmed by acts of terrorism have had the option to sue the terrorist groups responsible.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Mar. 2025
-
Plastic harms human health and life quality well beyond inadvertent microplastic consumption.—
Genia Naro Maciel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Oakland topped out at 84 degrees, beating its old mark of 75 set in 1997; Hayward hit 81 degrees, shattering its previous record of 73 set in 2014; and Concord reached 80 degrees, edging past its old mark of 78 set in 2014 and tied in 2022.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Trump’s Florida retreat became a mark for spies from around the world.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
And there’s no question Brian Tyree Henry’s unique abilities as an actor tap into the same deep well of screen presence and emotional integrity that flowed through Hackman’s work, no matter how flawed the character.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Their argument is legally flawed, morally deficient and provably inconsistent.—
Scott Maxwell,
Orlando Sentinel,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blight. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share