blindness
/ˈblaɪndnəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈblaɪndnəs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈblīn(d)-nəs/ (ame, mw)
blindness — noun
1. the medical condition in which a person or animal is completely or almost comple
the medical condition in which a person or animal is completely or almost completely unable to see.
Theo lost his eyesight gradually and now lives with near-complete blindness.
live with blindness — describing a permanent condition
A simple operation can prevent the blindness that this eye disease often causes.
prevent / cause blindness — verbs with blindness as object
The charity trains guide dogs for people who are dealing with blindness.
Blindness affects millions of older adults, but early treatment can slow its progress.
In many countries, river blindness has been nearly eliminated through public health programs.
- sight loss
a more neutral, non-medical term; often preferred by advocacy groups
- visual impairment
a broader, more formal term that includes partial sight
用法筆記
This sense refers only to literal loss of sight. For the figurative meaning (e.g., 'blindness to the truth'), see sense 2.
常見錯誤
2. a stubborn or repeated failure to notice, acknowledge, or deal with something th
a stubborn or repeated failure to notice, acknowledge, or deal with something that is clearly obvious to other people.
The board showed a shocking blindness to the financial warnings from its own accountants.
blindness + to + noun phrase — key pattern
His moral blindness let him ignore the suffering that his business decisions caused.
compound: moral / political / willful blindness
We all have moments of blindness when a friend's unhappiness is right in front of us.
The mayor's willful blindness to the housing crisis cost her party the election.
Cultural blindness can make it hard for outsiders to see the unwritten rules of a workplace.
- unawareness
a neutral term that does not carry the same sense of refusal or stubbornness
- obliviousness
suggests a lack of attention rather than a deliberate ignoring of facts
- willful ignorance
a deliberate choice not to know; stronger and more negative than 'blindness'
- awareness
a general term for knowing or realising something
- perceptiveness
the ability to notice and understand things quickly
文法句型
blindness + to + noun phrase
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'to' (blindness to something). Frequently paired with adjectives like 'willful', 'moral', 'political', or 'cultural' to specify the domain of unawareness.