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Glite Dictionary
near-blind

near-blind

1 6.3
Able to see only a little
  • adjective
  • /nɪr blaɪnd/
translation icon : casi ciego

And she was born nearly blind.

Examples

  • Damn near blind a fella.

    Wild Bill (1995)

  • Now he's had colon cancer twice, nearly blind and needs an oxygen tank.

  • He damn near blind.

    Lord of the Streets (2022)

  • Among those arrested was the near-blind leader of the cult, Shoko Asahara, its "chemical squad" leader, Masami Tsuchiya, and its "home affairs minister," Tomomitsu Niimi.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Kekelis and Anderson (1984) found that blind or near-blind children 1 to 3 years old were provided with significantly more directives ("Take off your hat") than were sighted children, and significantly less description (using only labels, such as "That is a shoe").

    Academic text (1991)

  • The near-blind man relied on his friends to guide him through the park.

  • Our neighbor is near-blind, so we help him read his mail.

  • Despite being near-blind, she still enjoys painting by feeling the texture of the canvas.

Synonyms

visually impaired
vsnear-blind
8 3.9

Having very little or no sight that makes seeing hard

is narrower, meaning severe loss but not necessarily full sight loss
visually challenged
vsnear-blind
1 5.8

Not able to see well and often needing help to read or move around

is more specific about heavy sight reduction rather than a euphemism
purblind
vsnear-blind
  • Archaic
9.9

Having very poor sight and hardly able to see

is about greatly reduced sight, stressing very close to total sight loss
dim-sighted
vsnear-blind
8.6

Unable to see things clearly because you have weak eyes

is similar but highlights being very close to total sight loss
blindish
vsnear-blind
  • Informal
8.2

Having some trouble seeing clearly

is stronger, meaning a very large loss of vision instead

Antonyms

sighted
1.3

A person who can see

How Sighted

sighted
1.3
near-blind
1 6.3
blind
520 1.0

Surface Forms

near-blind positive

Morphology

near-blind = near + blind (transparent) = near + blind

The meaning 'almost blind' is directly and predictably composed from 'near' (almost) + 'blind'.

Etymology

Near-blind joins near ('almost' or 'close') and blind ('unable to see'). So, it simply means 'almost unable to see', someone who has very poor vision.