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View synonyms for

blight

[blahyt]

noun

  1. Plant Pathology.

    1. the rapid and extensive discoloration, wilting, and death of plant tissues.

    2. a disease so characterized.

  2. any cause of impairment, destruction, ruin, or frustration.

    Extravagance was the blight of the family.

    Synonyms: , , ,
  3. the state or result of being blighted or deteriorated; dilapidation; decay.

    urban blight.



verb (used with object)

  1. to cause to wither or decay; blast.

    Frost blighted the crops.

  2. to destroy; ruin; frustrate.

    Illness blighted his hopes.

verb (used without object)

  1. to suffer blight.

blight

/ ɪ /

noun

  1. any plant disease characterized by withering and shrivelling without rotting See also potato blight

  2. any factor, such as bacterial attack or air pollution, that causes the symptoms of blight in plants

  3. a person or thing that mars or prevents growth, improvement, or prosperity

  4. an ugly urban district

  5. the state or condition of being blighted or spoilt

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to cause or suffer a blight

  2. (tr) to frustrate or disappoint

  3. (tr) to spoil; destroy

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

blight

  1. Any of numerous plant diseases that cause leaves, stems, fruits, and tissues to wither and die. Rust, mildew, and smut are blights.

  2. The bacterium, fungus, or virus that causes such a disease.

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Other Word Forms

  • blightingly adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of blight1

First recorded in 1605–15; of uncertain origin
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Word History and Origins

Origin of blight1

C17: perhaps related to Old English ǣ rash; compare bleach
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But while Verrelli belongs to one side in the ongoing debate among conservation biologists, the other includes those who believe cities are an incurable blight and that their spread must be reduced or reversed.

From

They have for months complained that their lives have been blighted by the noise of the loudspeakers coming from both the South and North, sometimes in the middle of the night.

From

The mayor of the region's biggest city, Cali, said the city had returned to 1989, when it was blighted by the drugs trade and cartel violence.

From

The funds, raised by a private trust, includes $24m for a housing fund and $60m for a cultural preservation fund focused on "reducing blight".

From

I wish we could point to a new robust corner of Minnehaha and Lake Street where the condemned Third Precinct still blights the corner, but we can’t.

From

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