Meaning & use
near and far sighted
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
Unable to see things clearly either very close up or very far away.
Grammar: Used after a linking verb like 'be' or 'become'; not usually before a noun.
Patterns
- be near and far sighted
- become near and far sighted
After turning forty, many people become near and far sighted.
He is near and far sighted, so he needs bifocals.
The eye test showed she was near and far sighted.
Common combinations
- become near and far sighted
- People often become near and far sighted as they age.
- be near and far sighted
- I am near and far sighted, so I wear progressive lenses.
- slightly near and far sighted
- The optician said I was slightly near and far sighted.
Synonyms and how they differ
- short-sighted and long-sighted
- This is the British English equivalent, but it is less common in American English.
- myopic and hyperopic
- These are the medical terms for the two conditions separately; they are not used together as a phrase.
Opposites
Word family
- near-sighted adjective
- Able to see close things clearly but not distant things.
- far-sighted adjective
- Able to see distant things clearly but not close things.
- sight noun
- The ability to see.
Commonly confused: near and far sighted or short-sighted?
near and far sighted vs short-sighted
In British English, 'short-sighted' means unable to see far, while 'near-sighted' is the American equivalent.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'near and far sighted' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Near and far sighted' describes a person's vision, so it fits in option 0. Option 1 incorrectly uses it before a noun, option 2 uses it with 'to' meaning direction, and option 3 uses it as a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “near and far sighted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.