short-sighted
UK[ˌʃɔːtˈsaɪtɪd]US[ˌʃɔːrtˈsaɪtɪd]
adj
Unable to see things clearly unless they are close to the eyes; myopic.
adj
Lacking imagination or foresight; not considering the future effects of present actions.
Morpheme Breakdown
short
sight
ed
short
limited
sight
vision
ed
adjective suffix
Etymology
The term "short-sighted" is a transparent English compound formed from native Germanic roots. The literal meaning, "having short sight," emerged in the late 16th century to describe the medical condition of myopia, where distant objects appear blurred because light focuses in front of the retina, effectively making one's clear visual range "short." By the early 17th century, the metaphorical extension was already in use, applying the logic of limited physical vision to criticize a person's inability to foresee long-term consequences. This evolution perfectly illustrates how a concrete sensory deficit provides a vivid analogy for a cognitive or planning deficiency.
Analysis
Structure: short (limited) + sight (vision) + ed (adjective suffix)
- short: From Old English sceort, meaning "of little length or duration." In this compound, it conveys the sense of "limited in range or extent."
- sight: From Old English siht, gesiht, meaning "faculty or act of seeing, vision."
- ed: An adjectival suffix from Old English -ede, used to form adjectives from nouns, indicating "having the qualities of."
Examples
She is so short-sighted that she needs glasses to drive.
It was a short-sighted decision to cut funding for research and development.
His short-sighted policies failed to address the impending environmental crisis.