Myopic Meaning: Thinking, View, Examples and Quiz

Myopic (adjective). Myopic has two main uses: literally, it relates to nearsighted vision; figuratively, it describes thinking that overlooks wider issues or longer-term consequences.

Example: Cancelling all equipment maintenance to save money this week was a myopic decision because it ignored future repair costs.

Pronunciation guide: my-OP-ik or my-OH-pik. Capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Explore the usage · Try the three-question quiz · Keep learning

What is myopic thinking or a myopic view?

Myopic thinking concentrates too narrowly on part of a situation. A myopic view may overlook other people’s perspectives or the broader consequences of a choice.

Imagine a club choosing a venue solely because it is cheap, without considering whether members can get there. Calling that decision myopic criticises the limited reasoning.

A short-term plan is not automatically myopic. Sometimes immediate action is necessary. The criticism is that relevant wider considerations have been overlooked.

Literal and figurative examples

• Literal: “The optician described her vision as myopic.” Here the word concerns eyesight.
• Figurative: “The committee took a myopic view of the proposal, considering only this month’s costs.”
• Figurative: “His myopic focus on the final score overlooked how much the team had improved.”
• Figurative: “The report challenges a myopic approach to planning.”

The surrounding words identify the sense. A reference to someone’s eyesight tells you nothing about their judgment or ability to plan.

Myopic, shortsighted and narrow-minded

Shortsighted can also concern vision or a lack of foresight. Narrow-minded often criticises an unwillingness to consider different ideas. Myopic may instead criticise how narrowly a decision was framed.

Choose the word that fits your evidence. If a plan ignores later costs, “myopic” or “shortsighted” may fit. If someone refuses to consider another viewpoint, “narrow-minded” may communicate the criticism more directly.

In the figurative sense, contrasts include far-sighted, forward-looking and broad in outlook. Avoid substituting these without checking the sentence.

Word forms, pronunciation and origin

Myopically is the adverb: “The team focused myopically on one target.” Myopia is the related noun, used for nearsightedness and sometimes for figurative lack of perspective.

The strongest stress falls on the middle syllable. Both pronunciation variants in the guide occur in English. The word is connected with Greek roots referring to closing the eyes.

To make your own figurative example clear, explain what the decision overlooked: “The plan was myopic because ___.” This is more informative than using the adjective as a general insult.

Practise myopic: three quick questions

Try each question before opening its answer. If a question asks you to write a sentence, your own correct example is welcome.

Question 1

A plan considers today’s saving but ignores a predictable larger cost next month. Why might it be called myopic?

Question 2

Does describing someone’s eyesight as myopic mean they are narrow-minded?

Question 3

Complete: “They focused ___ on ticket sales and ignored the audience’s experience.” Choose myopic or myopically.

Keep learning

Myopic pronunciation by Pronunciation Guide on YouTube.

Compare these words next: Versatile meaning and practice and Vigilant meaning and practice.

Continue with free daily English practice or choose another activity in the learning app.

Dictionary reference: Merriam-Webster: Myopic. The examples and practice questions on this page are written for English Skill Studio.