Word of the Day : January 28, 2022

myopic

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adjective mye-OH-pik

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What It Means

Myopic means "not able to clearly see objects that are far away" (that is, "being nearsighted"). Figuratively, it can mean "being shortsighted," "lacking in foresight or discernment," or "narrow in perspective and without concern for broader implications."

// The corrective eye surgery has been approved for myopic patients.

// The mayor's proposal to build a casino to create jobs in the economically distressed city has been criticized as being myopic.

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myopic in Context

"Three years ago, when chef Gerardo Gonzalez announced that he would leave New York for a hotel gig in the Caribbean, some probably wondered why a bright young talent was cutting his career short. 'I always try to resist the myopic view of things,' Gonzalez says from the Grand Cayman's Palm Heights Hotel, which granted him carte blanche to reimagine what a dining program should look like at a luxury resort." — Gabe Ulla, Vanity Fair, 21 July 2021

Did You Know?

Myopia is a condition in which visual images come to a focus in front of the retina of the eye, resulting in defective vision of distant objects. Those with myopia can be referred to as myopic (or, less formally, nearsighted). Myopic can also describe someone who has trouble seeing things from a different perspective or considering the future consequences before acting. Myopic and myopia come from Greek myōps, which is based on myein (meaning "to close") and ōps ("eye").