as in defect
something that spoils the appearance or completeness of a thing
the expanding urban sprawl is a blight on the countryside
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to damage
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of blight
Rosana Hughes, AJC.com, 7 Jan. 2026
The Bills ended their 17-year playoff blight in January 2018.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Dan Fisher, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
During the pandemic, Republicans — and some moderate Democrats — parlayed concerns about visible property crime and blight in blue cities into winning electoral strategies, even as violent crime has dropped in recent decades.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blight
Noun
But Atlanta business and civic leaders have looked to spur new investment along Northside Drive, a barrier between downtown and Westside neighborhoods, including Vine City and English Avenue, which are rich in history but have suffered from severe flooding, blight and other issues.
—Rosana Hughes, AJC.com, 7 Jan. 2026
The Bills ended their 17-year playoff blight in January 2018.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Verb
Every Afghan election was blighted by accusations of fraud; the last two presidential races were resolved only by last-minute, U.S.-brokered power-sharing agreements; and prominent warlords guilty of human rights abuses served in high positions.
—Dan Fisher, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
During the pandemic, Republicans — and some moderate Democrats — parlayed concerns about visible property crime and blight in blue cities into winning electoral strategies, even as violent crime has dropped in recent decades.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blight
Noun
-
The defect was linked to at least 54 frontal crashes and the deaths of more than a dozen people.—
Christopher DiLella,
CNBC,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The coroner found no anatomical cause of death—no brain bleed, no congenital defects, no reason that an otherwise healthy boy had suddenly died.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Some government offices and financial institutions were damaged during the unrest, residents said, while merchants reported being ordered to reopen businesses despite ongoing security operations.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The gunfire damaged the car’s rear end, trunk, tail light and rear window louver, according to court documents.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
These blotches are fairly plant friendly and produce what is known as algal leaf spot.—
Brian Bell,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Leaves may show blotches and mottled coloring and fruit may remain partially green and irregularly shaped.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And, from this week’s issue, Nicola Twilley’s reporting on another lingering effect of the wildfires—smoke taint that is ruining grapes and threatening California’s wine industry.—
Dana Goodyear,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
-
This will either change your life or ruin you.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Minneapolis is far from alone in navigating high-profile events and bearing scars from multiple tragedies past.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
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More commonly, branches are destroyed, or a permanent vertical scar is left in a tree’s trunk, known as a frost rib.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Under her, the department is harming citizens, not protecting them.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Afterwards, several of the people in the car with Vega-Mendoza said they were terrified of being harmed by their pursuers.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Huff reached the latter of those marks this week.—
Tony East,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
And beyond the fall in funding amounts, a mark of the evolution in Chinese-Africa lending is that lenders are increasingly denominating loans in yuan instead of the US dollars.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In both Landman and Goliath, Thornton’s characters are flawed anti-heroes who struggle with substance abuse and the moral quandaries of doing what’s right.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
18 Jan. 2026
-
My dad speaks amazingly fluent and flawed German for a New Yorker who never studied it in school.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blight. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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