English Reference
Adjective

blinding

adj.
C1 Advanced US /ˈbɫaɪndɪŋ/ UK /blˈaɪndɪŋ/ blind·ing

adj.extremely bright, or used to describe something that is excellent or very impressive. You might use it to talk about a light that hurts your eyes or a great performance.

adj.causing temporary or permanent loss of vision due to intense light; also used as an intensifier meaning exceptionally good or impressive. Often used in British English to describe a high-quality performance or event.


SIMPLE

The sun was blinding as we drove west.

CONTEXTUAL

The band played a blinding set at the festival, leaving the crowd cheering for three encores.

COMPLEX

The snow reflected a blinding glare that made navigation nearly impossible without specialized eyewear, yet the view from the summit was absolutely spectacular.

Usage

Commonly used as a participial adjective; in its slang sense, it is primarily found in British English.

This land of wide open spaces, ancient churches and castles, and vast sunflower fields, all baking under the blinding August Sun, seemed like the perfect location to enter the path of totality.

Ars Technica· 17 Aug 2026

The tension was visible even then—drivers wanted more forward light as speeds rose, while everyone else wanted fewer blinding lights from oncoming traffic.

Ars Technica· 3 Aug 2026

By surface analysis, blind + -ing.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated