tunnel vision
noun
Simple meaning
The tendency to focus one's attention on one specific idea or viewpoint, to the exclusion of everything else.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
tuhnuhlvihzhuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtʌnəlvɪʒən
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.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
figuratively
The tendency to focus one's attention on one specific idea or viewpoint, to the exclusion of everything else.
A restricted field of vision, especially as the result of looking through some type of object or a medical condition.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The tendency to focus one's attention on one specific idea or viewpoint, to the exclusion of everything else.
Used this way, tunnel vision is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “tunnel vision” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
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.