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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as in to damage
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blight
Kerry Michaels, The Spruce, 5 Feb. 2026
There are also juniper cultivars, such as Iowa, that are resistant to juniper tip blight, as well as lilacs such as Charles Joly and Old Glory that have good resistance to powdery mildew.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 1 Feb. 2026
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for blight
Noun
Sometimes epic failures can happen for reasons beyond your control like tomato blight or a ridiculously wet or cold summer.
—Kerry Michaels, The Spruce, 5 Feb. 2026
There are also juniper cultivars, such as Iowa, that are resistant to juniper tip blight, as well as lilacs such as Charles Joly and Old Glory that have good resistance to powdery mildew.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 1 Feb. 2026
Verb
Another way to avoid it is to select apple tree varieties that are naturally resistant to blight and other common diseases.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for blight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blight
Noun
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Under most state consumer protection laws, businesses can’t charge customers for pre-existing defects.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2026
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But the document also expresses uncertainty about whether the potential defects constitute a crime, noting that elections in Fulton County have already been the subject of multiple reviews.—
Kate Brumback,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Overall, European leaders’ positive reception of Rubio’s speech reflected how horrifically damaged the transatlantic relationship has been by the past year of turmoil over Ukraine, and month of arson over Greenland.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
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Some of the fiercest storms in the South were reported near Lake Charles, Louisiana, where high winds from a thunderstorm overturned a horse trailer and a Mardi Gras float, damaged an airport jet bridge and flung the metal awning from a house into power lines.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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With the proper equipment, the sun spots will appear as a small black blotch close to the center of the solar disk, positioned a little above the sun’s equator.—
Mary Wasson,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
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With the proper equipment, AR4366 will appear as a small black blotch close to the center of the solar disk, positioned a little above the sun's equator.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That was what Ilia Malinin endured on Friday night, when his disastrous free skate ruined his chances for gold.—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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Steam cleaning is an effective way to sanitize and refresh your mattress, but the wrong technique can end up ruining the fabric.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For the first time, the researchers demonstrated that human spinal cord organoids can reproduce the formation of dense glial scars, which block nerve regeneration.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Feb. 2026
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In addition to flash flood risks, residents in burn scar areas in Los Angeles County face a threat of mudslides as the rainfall accumulates.—
Doha Madani,
NBC news,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Meta and YouTube are accused of intentionally designing addictive features that hooked a now-20-year-old woman as a child and harmed her mental health.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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No human journalist was harmed in this experiment.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Excessive pre-rinsing can cause white marks on glass This first piece of advice will feel counterintuitive, but just go with us here.—
Taylor Tobin,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
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That estimate turned out to not even be close — missing the mark by more than $2 billion, according to new data released by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget.—
Zachary Hansen,
AJC.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The authors also said the findings produced by AI are only as good as the data used, which could be flawed.—
Alexis Akwagyiram,
semafor.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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Fennell chooses the former, and flawed or not, this drunk-on-pheromones take is all the better for it.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blight. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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