Should You Ever Make Your Characters Roll Their Eyes?
Roll the eyes is a commonly used idiom. Many editors don’t like it, insisting that the expression makes readers envision eyes rolling across the floor like marbles. However, people understand what a writer means by the phrase. In my opinion, some editor biases are old-fashioned, and I was born when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth.
Nevertheless, rolling of the eyes is cliché, best reserved for dialogue and children’s or young adult books. But even in books written for kids, overuse of any expression is taboo.
Effective Dialogue Helps
Anything a person would say in real life can be incorporated into written dialogue. Note how the following snippets of speech include the dreaded idiom in a way that won’t offend your editor.
“Don’t you roll your eyes at me, you insensitive jerk.”
“If you don’t smarten up, I’m gonna take those rolling eyes and use ’em for marbles.”
“You got a problem? Maybe I should glue your eyes in place to keep them from rolling around that empty space inside your head.”
Why Do People Roll Their Eyes?
If you understand character motivations, you can substitute suitable emotion beats and physical manifestations.
Rolling eyes could indicate:
A to S
annoyance, boredom, contempt, disbelief, impatience, nonchalance, sarcasm, scorn, skepticism, smugness
Consider a Few Alternative Ways to Show These Emotions
Annoyance
clenched jaw
crossed arms
tapping foot
throbbing vein in the neck
Boredom
drumming fingers
lethargic movements
sighing
unfocussed gaze or staring
Contempt
pinched lips
sneering
snorting
stuck-out tongue
Disbelief
gaping mouth
inability to speak
rapid blinking
widened eyes
Impatience
hair-twirling or other habitual behaviors
pacing
tapping one’s foot
watching a clock or wristwatch
Nonchalance
changing the subject
cheesy grin
joking
shrugging
Sarcasm
overstatement
raised eyebrows
statements with double meanings
uneven smile
Scorn
crossed arms
dismissive hand gesture
tightening of the upper lip
wrinkled nose
Skepticism
condescending smile
muttering disagreement
shaking the head
shrugging
Smugness
blustering speech
rocking on heels
strutting or swaggering
leaning toward another character and invading their personal space
If you need additional beats, consult a body language dictionary. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
The Writer’s Lexicon series
and additional resources on my Facebook page.
Try sentences like the following:
She propped her hands on her hips and gave him a look that told him he’d be sleeping on the couch again.
His eyes bulged so much they looked like billiard balls.
She screwed her face into a grimace that reminded him of his neighbor’s pug.
He curled his lip and stared at the ceiling.
Let Your Characters Tell About Their Feelings
Protagonists know how they’re feeling in the moment. They can reveal their emotions via dialogue or internal sensations.
“Do you really mean that, or are you full of baloney? As usual.”
“Yeah, right. That’s never gonna happen.”
She gave me a dismissive blink that made me feel like an insect.
Jolene’s flirtations annoyed Jim more than his mother’s incessant nagging.
Shirley’s impatience filled her with a suppressed urge to tap her foot as she waited for Bill to finish his lame joke.
Try Direct Replacements for Roll the Eyes
When you need something concise, this list might provide what you’re looking for.
B to D
bait, balk, belittle, bellyache, blink, bluster, bridle, bristle, chaff, challenge, clown around, complain, cringe, criticize, cut up, demur, deride, disdain, disparage, dissent, dodge
F to K
flinch, frown, gape, gawk, gawp, glare, glower, goad, goggle, grimace, gripe, grouch, grouse, grumble, harrumph, jeer, jest, joke, josh, kid around
L to P
leer, look askance, look sideways, make a face, make fun of, moan, mock, mumble, mutter, narrow the eyes, object, pace, poke fun at, pooh-pooh, pout, protest, provoke, pull a face
R and S
rag, raise the eyebrows, rant, razz, rebuff, recoil, revile, rib, ridicule, scoff, scorn, scowl, shrug, sigh, simper, smirk, sneer, snicker, snigger, snort, spurn, stiffen, suck the teeth
T to W
taunt, tease, titter, tsk-tsk, twit, whine, whinge, wince
The Writer’s Lexicon series
and additional resources on my Facebook page.
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What about “invisible eye-roll”? Example: you’re sitting in church and the pastor says, ” I watched a reality show on T.V. and . . .. and she was looking at me when she said it. Later I wrote her a letter saying: ” in spite of my invisible eye roll, your sermon was terrific!
My wife says I didn’t make that up, it’s commonly used. I say, Baaa Hummbug!
Your take? Sam
Well, Sam, it is used. However, I prefer “mental eye roll.” What do you think? Try googling both phrases, in quotes.
Thanks for stopping by!
Dear Kathy,
Thank you for the tons of description on body language expressions/emotions on word list for use in writing.
However, I found that there is one body language expression which cannot be expressed in writing or are they any pictures in any book or on the internet to illustrate it.
It is an angry, silent expression of the eyes with the eyelids pressed down in slow motion to express silent anger or disgust at somebody.
Would you care to email to me to elaborate on the facial expression of the eyes so that you could give the most apt description to that expression for inclusion to the word list, and for which I could be the first person to earn compliment/credit for surfacing that facial expression.
I look forward to your reply.
Thank you.
Thanks for stopping by, Indurani.
I would suggest wording such as
Or replace glare with glower.
Good luck with your writing!
Thanks so much for your post! I’ve used it many times. Would you be kind enough to recommend some of the best body language dictionaries? I clicked the link you provided and didn’t find any. I likewise tried “body language dictionary” on Amazon, but it is very hard to tell which book has what I am looking for as a writer. Thank you!
Thanks, Emily.
Regarding a body language dictionary, it depends on what you’re looking for. I would recommend that you read descriptions and reviews, and then use Amazon’s “Look inside” feature to read the first few pages of the books that appeal to you. Pick one that matches your needs.
Happy writing!
Thanks for these words! They really helped pick my writing up so I wasn’t using the same adjectives and adverbs 24/7.
My pleasure, Sadiee. I’m glad you found them useful.
Stay safe!
For once, my search for a synonym for a phrase, yielded results! Often, the thesauri only react to specific words, such as “roll” or “eyes”. This blog post helped me change the eye rolling of a character trapped on the ratlines, to phrases much more evocative. Thank you!
Thanks, Holly.
Thanks for dropping by, and stay safe!
I definitely need to eliminate those “rolling eyes” from my novel.Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for stopping by, Blanche.
Stay safe!
This is helpful thanks
Thanks for stopping by, Jane, and for taking a moment to comment.