Meaning & use
far-sighted
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparablemedical
Able to see clearly things that are far away but not things close to your face.
Grammar: Used mainly before a noun or after verbs like be and become: She is far-sighted.
Patterns
- be far-sighted
- become far-sighted
My grandmother is far-sighted, so she holds the newspaper at arm's length.
Far-sighted people often need glasses for reading but not for driving.
The optician said I was slightly far-sighted in my left eye.
adjectivecomparableapproving
Good at judging what will happen in the future and planning for it.
Grammar: Can take more/most: a more far-sighted policy.
Patterns
- a far-sighted decision
- be far-sighted about something
The mayor took a far-sighted decision to protect the city's water supply.
Her far-sighted investment in training paid off ten years later.
It was far-sighted of them to buy the land before prices rose.
Word forms
| comparative | more far-sighted |
|---|---|
| superlative | most far-sighted |
Common combinations
- far-sighted policy
- The government announced a far-sighted policy on renewable energy.
- far-sighted decision
- Selling the old factory turned out to be a far-sighted decision.
- be far-sighted
- Both of my parents are far-sighted and wear glasses for reading.
- slightly far-sighted
- The test showed that he was slightly far-sighted.
Synonyms and how they differ
- long-sighted
- The usual British word for the eye condition; it is rarely used for the 'planning ahead' sense.
- visionary
- Stronger and more approving when talking about people with bold future plans; it is not used for eyes.
- prescient
- Formal and literary; it describes knowing what will happen rather than simply planning well.
Opposites
Word family
- far-sightedly adverb
- In a way that shows good judgment about the future.
- far-sightedness noun
- The condition of not seeing close objects clearly, or the quality of planning ahead.
Commonly confused: far-sighted or short-sighted?
far-sighted vs short-sighted
The opposite for eyes: a short-sighted person sees close things clearly but distant things blurrily. It can also mean 'not planning ahead', which is the opposite of the approving sense of far-sighted.
Practice
My grandfather is far-sighted, so when he reads he ____.
Choose one answer.
Far-sighted eyes see distant things well but struggle with close ones, so the book is held farther away. Holding it close fits a short-sighted person, and the last option describes the opposite problem.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “far-sighted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.