thousand-yard stare
Shell-shocked vacant gaze
A thousand-yard stare is a distant, unfocused gaze that seems to look through everything nearby, as if fixed on something far away.
The expression describes the dissociated look associated with combat trauma and shell shock—eyes open but not really seeing: He came back from the war with that thousand-yard stare.
Now applied to any glazed, emotionally detached expression suggesting psychological distress or exhaustion.
State of being empty
- vacancyUnoccupied space or position
- emptinessAbsence of substance
- glazed eyesUnfocused, distant expression
- expressionlessShowing no feeling
deadpan · unfocused · unseeing · fixed gaze · unblinking · glassy-eyed
Chronic reaction to horrific events
- shell shockWar-induced psychological trauma
- combat fatigueWar-induced psychological strain
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
- hypervigilanceHeightened threat sensitivity
survivor's guilt · dissociation · war trauma · nightmare · moral injury · trigger · numbing · avoidance
Combat engagement area
- warzoneArea of active fighting
- soldierArmed forces member
- veteranExperienced former soldier
- infantryGround combat troops
marines · frontline · warfare · trench · foxhole · bombardment · shelling · artillery
Separation or emotional uninvolvement
- numbnessLoss of sensation
- disconnectionState of being severed
- depersonalizationDetachment from one's identity
- derealizationPerception that surroundings aren't real
absence · unresponsiveness · withdrawal · shutdown · checked out · zoned out · spacing out · fugue
blankness
State of being empty
- vacancyUnoccupied space or position
- emptinessAbsence of substance
- glazed eyesUnfocused, distant expression
expressionless · deadpan · unfocused · unseeing · fixed gaze · unblinking · glassy-eyed
PTSD
Chronic reaction to horrific events
- shell shockWar-induced psychological trauma
- combat fatigueWar-induced psychological strain
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
survivor's guilt · hypervigilance · dissociation · war trauma · nightmare · moral injury · trigger · numbing · avoidance · reexperiencing
battlefield
Combat engagement area
infantry · marines · frontline · warfare · trench · foxhole · bombardment · shelling · artillery · combat zone
detachment
Separation or emotional uninvolvement
- numbnessLoss of sensation
- disconnectionState of being severed
- depersonalizationDetachment from one's identity
derealization · absence · unresponsiveness · withdrawal · shutdown · checked out · zoned out · spacing out · fugue · autopilot
thousand-yard staremindfulness
Awareness of the present
situational awareness · sharp focus · here and now · connectedness · social engagement
thousand, stare, thousandth, thousands, yards, yardage, stared, stares, staring