eyesore

[ ahy-sawr, ahy-sohr ]

/ ˈaɪˌsɔr, ˈaɪˌsoʊr /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR eyesore ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

something unpleasant to look at: The run-down house was an eyesore to the neighbors.

Nearby words

Origin of eyesore

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at eye, sore

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for eyesore

In 1991, Detroit Mayor Colman Young, who thought the area was an eyesore, had many of the installations demolished.
Who Is Burning Down Detroit’s World-Famous Street Art?|James Fassinger|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Republicans are also moving on immigration, which leaves sequester as the eyesore of the evening.
Budget Battles Ahead, Obama Prepares High-Stakes State of the Union|Eleanor Clift|February 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It began building an important project on an area that was an eyesore—an ugly multistory parking lot—then stumbled into this mess.
Response to Rashid Khalidi|Gil Troy|April 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In the limelight, every glitch and wart becomes an eyesore for an international audience.
Rio Buildings’ Collapse New Sign of World Cup Headache for Brazil|Mac Margolis|January 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Meanwhile, his home, much to the dismay of his neighbors, has once again become an eyesore.
Teen Hostage Horror|Lynn Waddell|September 24, 2010|DAILY BEAST
And so was fulfilled the proverbial command of Pericles, that Aegina ought not to remain the eyesore of Athens.
Athens: Its Rise and Fall, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The presence of such a man as Lax in the country was an eyesore to Captain Clayton, which it was his primary duty to remove.
The Landleaguers|Anthony Trollope
Sooner or later the greater part of them become a costly burden upon the community, and an eyesore to humanity.
London's Underworld|Thomas Holmes
In plain terms religion is an eyesore, and whoever wishes to throw stones at her is welcome.
The Origins of Contemporary France, Volume 1 (of 6)|Hippolyte A. Taine
“And the covered way is quite an eyesore from the drawing-room windows,” added Sophia.
Deerbrook|Harriet Martineau

British Dictionary definitions for eyesore

eyesore

/ (ˈaɪˌsɔː) /

noun

something very ugly

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for eyesore

eyesore

"something offensive to the eye," 1520s, from eye (n.) + sore (n.).

eyesore

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of eyesore

Examples from the Web for eyesore

eyesore

noun

eyesore