stick out like a sore thumb
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Something that is clearly out of place.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
There's no cover, and — as happened to me — any stranger sticks out like a sore thumb.
Historically, both state and federal ~ attorney generals have preferred to prosecute “ occasional ” traders, who stick out like a sore thumb.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Imported from Wikipedia “English-language idioms” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29), pending review.
Common questions
What does “stick out like a sore thumb” mean?
Something that is clearly out of place.
Is “stick out like a sore thumb” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.