Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Unpleasant to the eye; visually jarring: Something that causes a feeling of discomfort, displeasure, or offense to the person looking at it. It refers to sights that are aesthetically disagreeable, awkward, or socially inappropriate.
   • Offensive; shocking: Can describe actions, behaviors, or appearances that are morally or socially shocking, thus causing visual and mental discomfort to the observer.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Căn phòng bày biện lộn xộn trông thật trái mắt. (The messy room looked very unpleasant to the eye.)
  • Hành động thô lỗ của anh ta thật trái mắt. (His rude action was truly shocking/offensive.)
  • Màu sắc của bức tranh đó hơi trái mắt. (The colors of that painting are a bit jarring.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in subjective evaluations of aesthetics, manners, or social conduct. It implies a violation of expected visual or behavioral norms.

Variants and Related Words

• Chướng mắt (adj): Also means offensive to the sight, often stronger, implying something is an eyesore or grotesque.
  • Tòa nhà kiến trúc kỳ lạ đó thật chướng mắt. (That bizarre architectural building is a real eyesore.)

Synonyms

• Unpleasant to look at: Visually disagreeable.
• Jarring: Causing a sudden shock or discord to the senses.
• Offensive: Causing displeasure, anger, or resentment.
• Shocking: Causing a sudden sense of surprise and distaste.

Related Idioms

• Trái tai trái mắt: An idiom meaning "offensive to both the ear and the eye," used to describe something that is thoroughly unpleasant in both appearance and sound.
  • Màn trình diễn ồn ào và lố lăng ấy thật trái tai trái mắt. (That noisy and garish performance was offensive to both the ear and the eye.)