What does blinded mean?
Blinded is the past participle of the verb to blind, describing someone who has been deprived of sight. It applies both literally and figuratively. Literally, it refers to permanent loss of vision through injury, disease, or violence, or temporary loss caused by intense light. Figuratively, it is far more common in everyday speech, describing a person whose judgement or perception is clouded by strong emotion, prejudice, or self-interest, as in 'blinded by ambition'. This figurative sense carries a connotation of impaired judgement rather than physical incapacity, and it appears frequently in literature, journalism, and ordinary conversation. Because it works equally well in formal and informal registers, blinded is a flexible and expressive word. Its dramatic weight also gives it lasting power in storytelling, from classical epics to modern thrillers, where characters are literally or metaphorically unable to see the truth.
Having been deprived of sight, permanently or temporarily.
"The soldiers were blinded by tear gas during the protest."
Commonly used in passive constructions such as 'was blinded' or 'had been blinded'.
Describing a person or animal without the ability to see.
"A blinded veteran spoke movingly about his recovery."
As an attributive adjective, 'a blinded soldier' is less common than simply 'a blind soldier'; 'blinded' tends to emphasise the event or cause of sight loss rather than the state itself.
In Homer's Odyssey, the Cyclops Polyphemus is famously blinded by Odysseus with a sharpened wooden stake - making 'blinded' one of the most dramatic words in ancient literature.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blinded
'Blinded' derives from the Old English verb 'blendan' meaning to blind or dazzle, which itself traces back to the Proto-Germanic root *blinda-. Cognates appear across Germanic languages including Old Norse 'blunda' and German 'blind', all pointing to a shared ancestral form. The word has remained remarkably stable in English for over a thousand years, with its core meaning of depriving someone of sight unchanged since early medieval times.
Related word forms
How blinded is actually used
'Blinded' is often used both literally and figuratively. In its literal sense it can carry significant emotional weight, often appearing in contexts of tragedy or accident. The figurative use ('blinded by rage', 'blinded by love') is extremely common and idiomatic in everyday English.
Easily confused with blinded
'Blindfolded' means having a cloth tied over the eyes so one cannot see, while 'blinded' means losing or being deprived of sight itself.