🙄 Emoji Meaning: Why should you be annoyed if you receive this emoji?

Received an 🙄 Emoji? Prepare yourself for some roasting...
The meaning of many emojis isn't obvious at a first glance. And the 🙄 face falls into that category.

Is the emoji looking up... or is it an annoyed face? Both are somewhat true. So what is the official 🙄 emoji meaning? This face is what is known as the rolling eyes emoji. And if your friend just sent you a message complete with this emoji: then you should be preparing your best comebacks for a thorough roasting response.

What is the eye-rolling emoji?

The name says it all - this emoji face is doing an eye roll. And an eye roll in real life is a passive-aggressive gesture. It's used to disagree or dismiss a statement, situation or person. 

If you need a real-life example - let's say you hear a story on the news. And they are talking about a new law/policy you disagree with. You may roll your eyes in response - you may even not notice that you are doing it. The same goes for people too. Someone may start talking, yet you find what they are saying so annoying that you do an eye roll.

An eye roll in real life


And the eye roll emoji can be used in the exact same way in messages and texts. You can react to a piece of news with the emoji showing your displeasure. Or you can use the face when you disagree with what someone is saying. But the most devastating way to use it? To show that you are bored of something.

Should you be annoyed if you are sent an 🙄?

That depends on the context of the conversation. If you have told a friend about some disagreeable news or a person they don't like, then you shouldn't be surprised to see this emoji. Things get tricky however if you are discussing somewhere to go or an activity. 

The rolling eyes emoji can be one of the most infuriating faces out there. Are they saying no? Does it mean annoyance... or are they calling your idea boring? The ambiguous nature of this emoji even means they could just be being sarcastic. If you are unsure what they mean, it's best to clarify before getting on the boxing gloves.

The biggest issue with the 🙄 emoji

Different eye roll emojis on popular platforms

The problem with the rolling eyes emoji is that the design differs depending on the platform. And this leaves many users confused about what the face actually means. On an iOS device - the face has a straight mouth and seems to be looking upwards. On Android, the eyes are looking to the side and the mouth is in a displeased shape. 

Due to the complexity of this gesture - it's not hard to see why the various platforms struggle to represent an eye roll. But in our opinion, Facebook does the best job of representing an eye-rolling gesture. The straight angled mouth and the slightly closed eyelids definitely denote an annoyance. The eyes angled to the right also suggests that they are looking away from something disagreeable.

The face with rolling eyes emoji is one of the most cryptic symbols out there - and one of the most fun to use. Just remember to exercise some caution when wielding this silent destroyer of friendships...
Aaron Braund 02 Nov 2018

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