Empty-eyed

The adjective 'empty-eyed' describes a person whose eyes lack emotion, expression, or animation, suggesting a state of emotional detachment, sadness, weariness, or disillusionment. It often implies a vacant or lost look, as if the person's inner self is distant or absent. The emptiness may reflect a lack of interest, a feeling of numbness, or an inability to connect with the surrounding environment. It suggests that the individual might be experiencing profound sorrow, trauma, mental exhaustion, or a sense of despair, rendering their gaze lifeless. The term emphasizes the physical appearance of the eyes as a reflection of an inner state of being.

Empty-eyed meaning with examples

• She stood at the bus stop, her empty-eyed gaze fixed on the distant highway, seemingly oblivious to the bustling crowd around her. The weight of her grief was etched on her face, and her eyes mirrored the desolate landscape of her heart. She looked as if she hadn't slept in days. The world was far away and felt like a dream.
• The soldier, back from the war, possessed an empty-eyed stare that sent shivers through everyone who saw him. His eyes revealed the horrors he'd witnessed on the battlefield, the loss of comrades, and the hollowness that remained in his soul. This lack of emotion made it hard to communicate with him. The silence was unnerving.
• After hours of relentless studying, Sarah's eyes became empty-eyed, reflecting her mental fatigue. She felt a disconnect from the material, her mind numb with information overload. She longed to shut off the world. She couldn't focus, and she could barely remember the last 3 pages she read.
• The weary traveler, with his dusty cloak and sunken cheeks, met the innkeeper's eyes with an empty-eyed expression. Years of hardship and wandering were reflected in his lifeless gaze, a mirror of his lost hopes and shattered dreams. The exhaustion seemed to engulf him.
• The protagonist, isolated and alone, often stared into the mirror, her empty-eyed reflection staring back at her. She felt a vast emptiness inside, a sense of disconnection from herself and from the world. This made her more lonely and brought her to the brink of despair. It was something to feel.