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Glite Dictionary
painful on the eyes

painful on the eyes

6.4
Unpleasant to look at because of bright, clashing colors
  • idiom
translation icon : doloroso a la vista
  • That neon sign is painful on the eyes!

Examples

  • The new wallpaper is so bright and busy that it's actually painful on the eyes.

  • The way he mixes colors in his paintings can be downright painful on the eyes.

  • Her fluorescent outfit was bold but completely painful on the eyes.

  • The bright colors of the advertisement are really painful on the eyes.

  • The new wallpaper is so bright and busy that it's actually painful on the eyes.

  • Her fluorescent outfit was bold but completely painful on the eyes.

  • The way he mixes colors in his paintings can be downright painful on the eyes.

Synonyms

painful
vspainful on the eyes
737 1.0

Making someone feel physical hurt or strong emotional upset

refers specifically to visual discomfort and harsh appearance not general bodily harm
unsightly
vspainful on the eyes
15 4.5

Unpleasant to look at

focuses on harshness that physically harms sight rather than mere unattractiveness
hard on the eyes
vspainful on the eyes
  • Informal
2 6.8

Unpleasant to look at and makes your eyes feel tired

is about harsh visual quality that causes discomfort rather than simple strain

Antonyms

attractive
680 1.0

Pleasing to look at or enjoy and making people interested

pleasant
314 1.0

Giving a gentle feeling of enjoyment

soothing
81 2.9

That makes pain or worry feel less strong

How Unpleasant

hideous
171 5.1
painful on the eyes
6.4
hard on the eyes
  • Informal
2 6.8

Surface Forms

painful on the eyes positive

Morphology

painful + on + the + eye

The meaning 'visually unpleasant' is directly derivable from combining 'painful' (causing discomfort) with the locative phrase 'on the eyes'—literally causing discomfort to one's sight. This composition is a straightforward metaphorical extension that parallels common constructions in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will very likely infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Painful on the eyes comes from the simple image of something so bright, ugly, or harsh that it feels like it actually hurts your eyes. So, people use it to say something is 'visually unpleasant' or very hard to look at.