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

Chasing buyers for empty buildings and industrial sites; and chasing grants to improve parks, spur recycling and tear down blighted property. —The Enquirer, 9 Apr. 2024

Planted with thousands of native copaiba trees and exotic jackfruits, those blighted hills would eventually become the Tijuca National Park, the largest urban forest in the world. —Michael Snyder Pedro Kok, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024

How on this blighted earth is the subway still running? —Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024

Over the past 25 years, Louisville's blighted waterfront has transformed into a green urban space home to countless events, concerts, gatherings and more. —Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 12 Mar. 2024

In 2020, the city sued the nonprofit over conditions of the blighted property, according to Crain's Detroit. —Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024

In nearby Marina, the city cannot afford to demolish 300 blighted structures, said Mr. Long, the city manager. —Ralph Vartabedian, New York Times, 27 Sep. 2023

Several Pixel users facing problems with their phones have drawn similarities to the Android 14 multiple profile update bug that blighted devices last October. —Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 24 Jan. 2024

The tax is being pushed in Detroit, which over the years demolished 25,000 blighted homes, yet still suffers from property bought by speculators that is left dormant, according to The New York Times. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined at sense 1