stick/stand out like a sore thumb

idiom

informal

: to be very noticeable in usually a bad way

Examples of stick/stand out like a sore thumb in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Though small, a white light switch cover can stick out like a sore thumb on a dark or patterned wall. —Maggie Gillette, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2025

After all, if the rest of your bedroom is an exercise in luxury, then function-first curtains might stick out like a sore thumb. —Kelly Dawson, Architectural Digest, 11 Apr. 2025

On the other hand, the playoff losses to the San Francisco 49ers sting and the postseason blowout to the Green Bay Packers stick out like a sore thumb. —Saad Yousuf, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025

MagTag // Ultra Slim Tracker Card with Apple FindMy Unlike bulky tracking devices that stick out like a sore thumb, the MagTag Ultra Slim Tracker Card is as thin as a credit card—just 1.5mm thick. —New Atlas, 16 Jan. 2025

People who live in the home and have grown used to the set-up of a room may not notice these aspects, but a designer’s keen eyes can’t help but have tunnel-vision towards these things that either make a room special or stand out like a sore thumb. —Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2024

The Giants stick out like a sore thumb among the teams that needed a QB entering the draft, though, in not landing one. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2024

One number that continued to stick out like a sore thumb less than a week after the Ravens’ season came to a stunning yet familiar end: six. —Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2024

Because the truth is, middlemen so often stick out like a sore thumb. —Eran Mizrahi, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024