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blind

adjective · noun · verb · adverb

Simple meaning

Unable to see, or only partially able to see.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

blynd
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈblaɪnd

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. not comparable

    Unable to see, or only partially able to see.

    “A person is blind to the extent that he must devise alternative techniques to do efficiently those things he would do with sight if he had normal vision"--Kenneth Jernigan.”

  2. not comparableof a place

    Having little or no visibility.

  3. comparable

    Failing to recognize, acknowledge or perceive.

  4. Of a pimple

    Not having a well-defined head.

  5. in certain phraseschiefly in the negative

    Smallest or slightest.

  6. Unintelligible or illegible.

noun

  1. A movable covering for a window to keep out light, made of cloth or of narrow slats that can block light or allow it to pass.

  2. A place where people can hide in order to observe wildlife.

  3. Something to mislead the eye or the understanding, or to conceal some covert deed or design; a subterfuge, deception.

  4. A hiding place sometimes used by hunters (especially duck hunters)

    “He waited impatiently in the blind.”

  5. A destination sign mounted on a public transport vehicle displaying the route destination, number, name and/or via points, etc.

verb

  1. To darken; to obscure to the eye or understanding; to conceal.

  2. To cover with a thin coating of sand and fine gravel, for example a road newly paved, in order that the joints between the stones may be filled.

  3. (informal, obsolete except when paired, especially eff and blind) To curse, swear, use foul language

  4. Make blind by putting the eyes out

    “The criminals were punished and blinded.”

  5. transitive

    To make temporarily or permanently blind.

adverb

  1. Without seeing; unseeingly.

  2. colloquial

    Absolutely, totally.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: (not comparable) Unable to see, or only partially able to see.

Used this way, blind is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Heard in a sentence
“A person is blind to the extent that he must devise alternative techniques to do efficiently those things he would do with sight if he had normal vision"--Kenneth Jernigan.”
Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Usage note

It most often appears in the pattern “blind to …”, which is worth copying when you use it.

Natural pattern: blind to …

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

How It’s Used

The word’s distinct uses, one example each.

  • Unableadjective

    “A person is blind to the extent that he must devise alternative techniques to do efficiently those things he would do with sight if he had normal vision"--Kenneth Jernigan.”

  • Hidingnoun

    “He waited impatiently in the blind.”

  • Makeverb

    “The criminals were punished and blinded.”

More ways to use blind

  • “A person is blind to the extent that he must devise alternative techniques to do efficiently those things he would do with sight if he had normal vision"--Kenneth Jernigan.”adjective
  • “He waited impatiently in the blind.”noun
  • “They had just moved in and had not put up blinds yet.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Having little or no visibility

blind alley

Blinded

blind study

Other combinations

blind eyeblind spotblind faithblind personblind obedience

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • blindlyadverbDerived adverb

    Without seeing or looking.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • blind eelnounCompound term

    Aquatic eel-shaped salamander having two pairs of very small feet.

  • blind flyingnounCompound term

    Using only instruments for flying an aircraft because you cannot see through clouds or mists etc.

  • blind gentiannounCompound term

    Similar to Gentiana andrewsii but with larger flowers.

  • blind gutnounCompound term

    The cavity in which the large intestine begins and into which the ileum opens.

  • blind landingnounCompound term

    Using only instruments for flying an aircraft because you cannot see through clouds or mists etc.

  • blind personnounCompound term

    A person with a severe visual impairment.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: movable covering for a window to keep out light

blindfoldscreenblottoRare

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.