bloodshot

bloodshot — adjective

1. describing eyes whose normally white area has turned red with visible lines, oft

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing eyes whose normally white area has turned red with visible lines, often because of tiredness, smoke, chlorine, or another irritation.

Example

After the overnight drive, Ravi's eyes looked bloodshot in the mirror.

look bloodshot after too little sleep

The swimmer climbed out with bloodshot eyes from the strong chlorine.

bloodshot eyes from irritation

Common collocations
  • bloodshot eyes
  • look bloodshot
  • be bloodshot
  • bloodshot from lack of sleep
  • bloodshot from smoke
  • bloodshot with irritation
Synonyms
  • red-eyed

    broader and can also suggest crying or staying awake all night

  • bleary

    adds the idea of sleepiness and unfocused vision

  • inflamed

    more medical and often suggests a stronger physical reaction

Antonyms
  • clear-eyed

    describes eyes that look bright and not irritated

  • bright-eyed

    emphasizes an awake, healthy appearance

Grammar Patterns

bloodshot eyes

eyes look bloodshot

bloodshot from + cause

Usage Note

Usually describes the eyes, especially after too little sleep or irritation from smoke, chlorine, or long screen use. It commonly appears after linking verbs such as look or be, or before eyes in phrases like bloodshot eyes.

Common Mistakes

My face was bloodshot after the flight.
My eyes were bloodshot after the flight.
The word normally describes the eyes, not the whole face.
I felt bloodshot this morning.
My eyes looked bloodshot this morning.
Use it for the appearance of the eyes, not for a general feeling.

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Bloodshot, red-eyed, bleary, and inflamed can all describe unhealthy-looking eyes, but they focus on different things. Bloodshot points to the white part of the eye turning red with clear lines, often after little sleep, smoke, chlorine, or long screen time. Red-eyed is broader and can also suggest crying or being awake all night. Bleary usually adds sleepiness and poor focus. Inflamed is more medical and often suggests irritation, swelling, or infection rather than an ordinary tired look. After a long drive, Ravi may have bloodshot eyes; after a funeral, someone may be red-eyed from crying; and after waking at 4 a.m., a parent may be bleary. A doctor, however, is more likely to describe an inflamed eye.

bloodshotred-eyedblearyinflamed

Common collocations

Nouns

  • eye
  • eyes

Adverbs

  • slightly bloodshot
  • badly bloodshot

Phrases

  • bloodshot eyes
  • look bloodshot
  • wake up with bloodshot eyes

Prepositions

  • bloodshot from
  • bloodshot with

Etymology

English

Bloodshot was formed in English from blood and shot. Here shot does not mean fired from a gun; it uses an older sense meaning streaked or marked through, as if thin lines had been sent across a surface. So bloodshot literally means "shot with blood" or crossed with blood-colored lines, which matches the red veins seen in tired or irritated eyes.