Phrase guide

tunnel vision

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A restricted field of vision, especially as the result of looking through some type of object or a medical condition.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • Some people experience tunnel vision during a panic attack.
  • It took some time for him to get used to the tunnel vision he experienced while looking through a periscope.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The tendency to focus one's attention on one specific idea or viewpoint, to the exclusion of everything else.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, uncountable

Examples

  • After Mark fell victim to tunnel vision, nothing you could say to him would change his mind.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: one-track mind

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

visual impairment involving a loss of peripheral vision

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: visual impairment, visual defect, vision defect, visual disorder

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Danish: tunnelsyn — restricted field of vision
  • Dutch: tunnelvisie — restricted field of vision
  • Finnish: putkinäkö — restricted field of vision
  • French: vision tunnellaire — restricted field of vision
  • French: vision tunnelisée — restricted field of vision
  • German: Tunnelblick — restricted field of vision
  • Greek: σωληνοειδής όραση (solinoeidís órasi) — restricted field of vision
  • Hungarian: csőlátás — restricted field of vision
  • Marathi: विवर दृष्टि (vivar dŕṣṭi) — restricted field of vision
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tunnelsyn — restricted field of vision
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: tunnelsyn — restricted field of vision
  • Polish: widzenie lunetowe — restricted field of vision
  • Russian: тунне́льное зре́ние (tunnélʹnoje zrénije) — restricted field of vision
  • Spanish: visión de túnel — restricted field of vision
  • Swedish: tunnelseende — restricted field of vision