sore eye

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   An eye that is painful, red or irritated, often from infection, dust, tiredness or strain.

   Grammar: Countable: one sore eye or two sore eyes.

   Patterns

   • have a sore eye
   • bathe a sore eye

   He woke with a sore eye and could barely open it.

   A cold compress can soothe a sore eye after a long day at the screen.

   The child rubbed her sore eye and began to cry.

2. 2phraseidiominformalfigurative

   Part of the idiom a sight for sore eyes, said about someone or something that you are very glad to see.

   Grammar: The eyes is plural: you are a sight for sore eyes.

   Patterns

   • a sight for sore eyes

   After six hours on the road, the hotel was a sight for sore eyes.

   Hi, Marta, you are a sight for sore eyes!

   The first warm day of spring was a sight for sore eyes after the long winter.

Word forms

Common combinations

a sight for sore eyes

The hot meal was a sight for sore eyes.

treat a sore eye

The pharmacist suggested drops to treat a sore eye.

a red, sore eye

A red, sore eye needs a doctor if it does not improve.

rest a sore eye

Rest a sore eye by looking away from the screen.

have sore eyes

I have sore eyes after reading all night.

Synonyms and how they differ

irritated eye

Irritated eye sounds more clinical and stresses discomfort from a cause such as dust, while sore eye is plain speech.

bloodshot eye

Bloodshot eye describes how it looks, with red veins visible, not how it feels.

stye

A stye is one specific cause, a small lump on the eyelid, not any sore eye.

Word family

sore adjective

painful when touched or used

soreness noun

the state of being painful

sorely adverb

very much, as in sorely missed

eyesore noun

something ugly to look at

Commonly confused: sore eye or eyesore?

Practice

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