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
Amanda M. Faison, Outside Online, 22 Sep. 2024
But the once beautiful house was becoming a blight amid Huntting Lane’s picturesque historic district.
—airmail.news, 17 Aug. 2024
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
The incident in Hiroshima in western Japan is one of two scandals that have shaken Nomura lately, blighting the firm’s reputation at a time when profit is rebounding.
—Bytakashi Nakamichi, Fortune Asia, 3 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for blight
Noun
In recent years, this magnificent tree has suffered from blight, and even with thoughtful pruning its future is in question.
—Amanda M. Faison, Outside Online, 22 Sep. 2024
But the once beautiful house was becoming a blight amid Huntting Lane’s picturesque historic district.
—airmail.news, 17 Aug. 2024
Verb
Nevertheless, so many of Dortmund’s performances on the road look the same and are blighted by anonymity and, ultimately, bad mistakes.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
The incident in Hiroshima in western Japan is one of two scandals that have shaken Nomura lately, blighting the firm’s reputation at a time when profit is rebounding.
—Bytakashi Nakamichi, Fortune Asia, 3 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for blight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blight
Noun
-
The children all had a variety of birth defects, including missing or underdeveloped fingers, clubbed feet, heart defects, eye problems and skin conditions, per The Times.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Today, a fetus diagnosed with a complex heart defect can receive care that grants them a future once thought impossible.—
Jack Rychik and Craig Fleishman,
Orlando Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The Hoover Desk During former President Herbert Hoover's presidency in 1929, a fire severely damaged the West Wing of the White House, including the Oval Office.—
Greta Cross,
USA TODAY,
22 Feb. 2025
-
Recalls can damage trust, but how brands communicate and handle them publicly plays a major role in how consumers respond.—
Stephanie Gravalese,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Coronal holes may superficially appear to be similar to sunspots, as both appear as dark blotches on our star.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Both have gray-brown bodies with a smattering of lighter cream and darker brown blotches.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Sometimes, one bad person or a few bad people can ruin things for everybody.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Many of the selections underscore the social stresses and inequalities of the growing metropolis, the scars left by the harsh military dictatorship that ruled the country from 1976 to 1983, and the human costs of Argentina’s recurrent economic crises.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Older Brazilians carry the scars, in many cases literal ones, of their fight against dictatorship.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
23 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Many worry that the new cuts will harm the visitor experience across some 85 million acres at 433 sites.—
Ruffin Prevost,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Yet fired Forest Service workers who have been caught up in Trump and Elon Musk's push, through the Department of Government Efficiency, to cut government agencies say the administration is harming future wildfire fighting efforts through their cuts.—
Zac Anderson,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
This marks at least the fourth major aviation incident in North America in the past month.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
18 Feb. 2025
-
With five individual titlists, led by returning state meet competitor Hannah Gonzalez, the still-young second-year program is already making its mark.—
Steve Brand,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
There’s no denying the Yankees weren’t defensively flawed in 2024, but the issues in that particular inning should be viewed separately, especially because the players were the ones the organization would want involved in the action: the sure-handed Judge, Volpe, Cole and Anthony Rizzo.—
Chris Kirschner,
The Athletic,
19 Feb. 2025
-
In fact, government economic analyses tend to be methodologically flawed in part because of OIRA oversight.—
James Broughel,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blight. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share