Meanings
plural eyesores · alternative eye-sore
- A displeasing sight; something prominently ugly or unsightly.
The building, towering over its surroundings with its square concrete frame and reflective walls of gold-tinted glass, was an eyesore visible throughout the city.
1 more example
Two entrants shared this award for their work on two quite different stations, but with the same purpose of bringing a redundant station building back into use for the benefit of the community, with the added result of conserving an historic building. Saltash Town Council bought Saltash station building after it had become very decrepit and 'an eyesore' - such that it was nearly pulled down to make way for housing.
2021 December 15, Robin Leleux, “Awards honour the best restoration projects: The Network Rail Community Award: Saltash and Stow”, in RAIL, number 946, page 58Synonyms: blot · Antonyms: feast for the eyes, eye candy
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA displeasing sight; something prominently ugly or unsightly.
Origin
- Middle Englisheye sor
- Englisheyesore
From Middle English eye sor, eie-sor, eyen soore, eæge-sare, equivalent to eye + sore.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Cantonese 篤口篤鼻 /笃口笃鼻, 篤眼篤鼻 /笃眼笃鼻
- 篤口篤鼻 /笃口笃鼻 (duk¹ hau² duk¹ bei⁶)a displeasing sight
- 篤眼篤鼻 /笃眼笃鼻 (duk¹ ngaan⁵ duk¹ bei⁶)a displeasing sight
- 眼冤 (ngaan⁵ jyun¹)a displeasing sight
Chinese Mandarin 眼中釘 /眼中钉, 肉中刺，眼中釘 /肉中刺
- 眼中釘 /眼中钉 (yǎnzhōngdīng)a displeasing sight
- 肉中刺，眼中釘 /肉中刺a displeasing sight
- 眼中钉 (ròuzhōngcì, yǎnzhōngdīng)a displeasing sight
- 有礙觀瞻 /有碍观瞻 (yǒu'àiguānzhān)a displeasing sight
Danish øjebæ
- øjebæa displeasing sight
Finnish rumilus
- rumilusa displeasing sight
French horreur
- horreura displeasing sight
German Schandfleck, Unzierde
- Schandflecka displeasing sight
- Unzierdea displeasing sight
Hebrew מַחֲזֶה לֹא נָעִים
- מַחֲזֶה לֹא נָעִים (makhazé lo na'ím)a displeasing sight
Hungarian csúfság, (to be an eyesore) bántja a szemet
- csúfsága displeasing sight
- (to be an eyesore) bántja a szemeta displeasing sight
- éktelenkedika displeasing sight
Italian pugno in un occhio, obbrobrio
- pugno in un occhioa displeasing sight
- obbrobrioa displeasing sight
Japanese 目障り
- 目障り (mezawari)a displeasing sight
Korean 눈엣가시
- 눈엣가시 (nunetgasi)a displeasing sight
Latin rēs odiōsa
- rēs odiōsaa displeasing sight
Polish brzydactwo, paskudztwo
- brzydactwoa displeasing sight
- paskudztwoa displeasing sight
- szkaradaa displeasing sight
- szkaradzieństwoa displeasing sight
Romanian oroare vizuală, dezgust vizual
- oroare vizualăa displeasing sight
- dezgust vizuala displeasing sight
Russian уро́дство
- уро́дство (uródstvo)a displeasing sight
Spanish esperpento
- esperpentoa displeasing sight
Swedish skamfläck, schabrak
- skamfläcka displeasing sight
- schabraka displeasing sight
Tagalog sulyak
- sulyaka displeasing sight
Thai ทัศนะอุจาด
- ทัศนะอุจาด (tát-sà-ná ù-jàat)a displeasing sight
Vietnamese điều ngứa mắt, điều chướng mắt
- điều ngứa mắta displeasing sight
- điều chướng mắta displeasing sight
Welsh dolur llygad
- dolur llygada displeasing sight
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with eyesore
Cite this entry
eyesore. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eyesore
“eyesore.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eyesore. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “eyesore,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eyesore.
Source: eyesore on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.