Definition
something visually unappealing
Examples
1) A rusty car parked at the magnificent mansion seems so hard on the eyes.
2) The neon signs in the city at night were so bright and flashy that they
were hard on the eyes.
Etymology
The term suggests it originated from the literal sense of something visually
uncomfortable or straining to look at.
Synonyms ugly, unsightly, eye-straining
- englishdaily626.com [edited]
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[A related term is eyesore which is more often used for buildings.]
Bill's weather-beaten 2010 Honda hatchback was harder on the eyes on the
driver's side where the body above the rear wheel scraped in an 2017 accident
when he lost control hurtling on freeway 17, aka Killer 17, down Santa Cruz
mountains in the first rain that fall. The car fishtailed into the concrete
divider, the impact slowed the vehicle down, and he dodged death by the skin of
his teeth. On account of his extraordinary luck, the aesthete likened the scars
on the car to the score on a loaf of sourdough or the stylish holes in denims,
insisted that they were an artistic expression by nature, and kept them till today.
