WordGarden.io
Back to search

sightless

C2
adjective

Pronunciation

UK

  • /sˈaɪtləs/

US

  • /sˈaɪtləs/

Description

To be sightless is to be unable to see. Most often, the word is used for a person or animal that is blind, whether from birth or because sight was lost later. It can also describe eyes that do not see, as in a line about "sightless eyes" staring ahead with no awareness. The word has a quiet, literary feel and often brings attention to how someone moves through the world by sound, touch, memory, or help from others.

It can also stretch into metaphor, but usually in a clear way. A writer may describe someone as sightless to danger or truth to suggest that they do not notice what is plain to others. Even then, the idea still comes back to vision: either real sight is absent, or inner notice seems absent.

Examples

  1. 1

    Guide dog

    The guide dog stayed close to its sightless owner on the busy street.

    • Usage

      sightless is a formal or literary word; in everyday English, people usually say blind

  2. 2

    Literary description

    His sightless eyes turned toward her voice when she entered the room.

  3. 3

    Cave animals

    Deep in the cave, sightless fish drifted through the dark water.

Forms and spellings

1 form open this card.

Main spelling

  • sightlessadjective