Word of the Day

: January 25, 2019

myopic

adjective mye-OH-pik

What It Means

1 : affected by myopia : of, relating to, or exhibiting myopia : nearsighted

2 : lacking in foresight or discernment : narrow in perspective and without concern for broader implications

myopic in Context

"This is, on the whole, an encouraging finding. If children became myopic due to looking at objects too closely, then we'd be stuck with an unsolvable dilemma: choosing between teaching children to read and protecting their eyesight." — Brian Palmer, Slate, 16 Oct. 2013

"But even the most myopic seer can foretell with near certainty that our traditional use of privately owned vehicles running on fossil fuels is going to be giving way to new mobility options, and soon." — John Gallagher, The Detroit Free Press, 9 Dec. 2018

Did You Know?

Myopia is a condition in which visual images come to a focus in front of the retina of the eye, resulting in defective vision of distant objects. Those with myopia can be referred to as "myopic" (or, less formally, "nearsighted"). Myopic has extended meanings, too. Someone myopic might have trouble seeing things from a different perspective or considering the future consequences before acting. Myopic and myopia have a lesser-known relative, myope, meaning "a myopic person." All of these words ultimately derive from the Greek myōps, which comes from myein (meaning "to be closed") and ōps (meaning "eye, face").