eyesore

[ ahy-sawr, ahy-sohr ]

/ ˈaɪˌsɔr, ˈaɪˌsoʊr /

something unpleasant to look at: The run-down house was an eyesore to the neighbors.

Origin of eyesore

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at eye, sore

In 1991, Detroit Mayor Colman Young, who thought the area was an eyesore, had many of the installations demolished.

Who Is Burning Down Detroit’s World-Famous Street Art? |James Fassinger |March 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Republicans are also moving on immigration, which leaves sequester as the eyesore of the evening.

Budget Battles Ahead, Obama Prepares High-Stakes State of the Union |Eleanor Clift |February 11, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
It began building an important project on an area that was an eyesore—an ugly multistory parking lot—then stumbled into this mess.

Response to Rashid Khalidi |Gil Troy |April 27, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
In the limelight, every glitch and wart becomes an eyesore for an international audience.

Rio Buildings’ Collapse New Sign of World Cup Headache for Brazil |Mac Margolis |January 28, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

Meanwhile, his home, much to the dismay of his neighbors, has once again become an eyesore.

Teen Hostage Horror |Lynn Waddell |September 24, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
And so was fulfilled the proverbial command of Pericles, that Aegina ought not to remain the eyesore of Athens.

Athens: Its Rise and Fall, Complete |Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The presence of such a man as Lax in the country was an eyesore to Captain Clayton, which it was his primary duty to remove.

The Landleaguers |Anthony Trollope
Sooner or later the greater part of them become a costly burden upon the community, and an eyesore to humanity.

London's Underworld |Thomas Holmes
In plain terms religion is an eyesore, and whoever wishes to throw stones at her is welcome.

The Origins of Contemporary France, Volume 1 (of 6) |Hippolyte A. Taine
“And the covered way is quite an eyesore from the drawing-room windows,” added Sophia.

Deerbrook |Harriet Martineau

eyesore

/ (ˈaɪˌsɔː) /

something very ugly