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myopic

9 synonyms and 4 antonyms for myopic, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Adjective — Focused only on immediate concerns and failing to consider the longer term.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

short-sighted narrow-minded insular unimaginative shortsighted unforesightful nearsighted near-sighted

Synonyms by Meaning

1. adjective

Focused only on immediate concerns and failing to consider the longer term.

“Cutting the training budget was a myopic decision that cost them a decade of talent.”

short-sighted narrow-minded insular unimaginative short shortsighted unforesightful nearsighted

Opposites

far-sighted visionary

2. adjective medical

Unable to see distant objects clearly; short-sighted.

“He has been myopic since childhood and cannot read a road sign without glasses.”

short-sighted near-sighted

Opposites

hypermetropic long-sighted

How to use myopic

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

myopic view myopic focus on dangerously myopic myopic policy

The figurative sense dominates in general writing and is mildly critical. The eye-condition sense belongs to medicine, where the noun is myopia.

Etymology

From Greek myops 'short-sighted', from myein 'to shut' and ops 'eye', describing the habit of narrowing the eyes to see distant things.

Full origin of myopic →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between myopic and short-sighted?
They mean the same thing in both senses, but myopic is the more formal and clinical word while short-sighted is the plainer everyday choice. In criticism, myopic tends to sound more scathing.
Is myopic an insult?
It is a criticism rather than an insult when used figuratively — it says a person or policy lacks foresight, not that they lack intelligence. Applied to eyesight it is a neutral medical description with no judgement attached.

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Synonyms and antonyms from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.