sightless

adjective

sight·​less ˈsīt-ləs How to pronounce sightless (audio)
1
: lacking sight : blind
2
sightlessly adverb
sightlessness noun

Examples of sightless in a Sentence

bats are often thought to be completely sightless, but this is not really true
Recent Examples on the Web By tapping and touching, the sightless person does not feel the cane per se but the objects—the curb, the doorway—that are felt through the tool, in the same way sighted people experience these objects through their eyes. Chip Colwell, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024 The distraught and sightless Orion wandered hopelessly for days on end. Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2024 Yet some sightless species have retained the ability to sense light. Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 20 Dec. 2023 And this rapid development of cooperative behavior between the dogs and their partners explains why dogs are so good at helping humans in tasks that are narrowly defined, such as leading a sightless person through busy city streets. Ádám Miklósi, Scientific American, 1 May 2015 The species is among the first arthropods identified as having this ability, although researchers have separately discovered it in some sightless species of fish and shrimp. Byscience News Staff, science.org, 16 Feb. 2023 To prepare for the role, Momoa trained with a movement coach and a sightless fight coach. James Hibberd, EW.com, 16 Sep. 2019 Her mother, Nazife—whose name is never heard in the course of the film—has an oozing and apparently sightless eye and a grave bleeding wound near it, on the side of her face, which is bound with a compress and a towel. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2019 At a glance, the saint’s eyes seem to be sightless or downcast. New York Times, 11 July 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sightless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sightless was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near sightless

Cite this Entry

“Sightless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sightless. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sightless

adjective
sight·​less ˈsīt-ləs How to pronounce sightless (audio)
: lacking sight : blind
sightlessness noun

Medical Definition

sightless

adjective
sight·​less ˈsīt-ləs How to pronounce sightless (audio)
: lacking sight : blind sense 1
sightlessness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on sightless

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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