blighted

adjective

blight·​ed ˈblī-təd 

1

botany : affected with blight (see blight entry 1 sense 1)

a blighted plant

This pathogen causes blighted flowers, heavy leaf spotting, and the death of young, green shoots.

—Elsie Cox

2

: in a badly damaged or deteriorated condition

a blighted landscape

a blighted city

… the physicians who work here in some of the nation's most blighted neighborhoods …

—Malcolm Gladwell

3

: made ineffectual : defeated or frustrated

blighted dreams

At every point we are confronted with shattered promises, blighted hopes, irreconcilable dilemmas, good intentions gone astray …

—Gertrude Himmelfarb

Examples of blighted in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Beyond finances, gaining community support is key in successful adaptive reuse projects, since developers often face skepticism when proposing to revitalize blighted properties. —Dr. Dick Bridy, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025

Under Colorado statute, blighted properties are areas that are hazardous to public health, impede housing and aggravate traffic problems, among several other factors. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 9 July 2025

No more dead-end land deals, blighted parcels or families ditching the city. —Alicia Pederson, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025

Reliable energy is essential to deliver massive housing development on Staten Island’s North Shore, remake the blighted industrial Willets Point area, and transform the Brooklyn Marine Terminal. —Linda Baran, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for blighted

• cited
• frighted
• knighted
• lighted
• plighted
• righted
• sighted
• sited
• slighted
• whited
• affrighted
• alighted