English Reference
Idiom idiom

hard on the eyes

Meaning

ugly

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

Examples
SIMPLE

“That old building is really hard on the eyes.”

CONTEXTUAL

“He bought a cheap, bright orange sofa that is quite hard on the eyes.”

COMPLEX

“The architect designed a structure so discordant and cluttered that it was undeniably hard on the eyes of every local resident.”

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all eyes

    Watching alertly or attentively.

  2. 02

    all eyes and ears

    Very attentive.

  3. 03

    babies in the eyes

    The minute reflection which one sees of oneself in the eyes of another.

  4. 04

    bat one's eyes

    To signal or feign by fluttering one's eyelids, as romantic interest.

  5. 05

    bawl one's eyes out

    To cry, shed tears, weep loudly.

  6. 06

    believe one's eyes

    To believe that something which one directly sees is truly the case.

  7. 07

    bone hard

    As hard as a bone, rock hard.

  8. 08

    clap eyes on

    To see; to lay eyes on.

Last updated August 10, 2026