beholder

[bih-hohl-der]

noun

1. a person who is observing or seeing something.

   What is considered offensive often lies in the eyes of the beholder.

Word History and Origins

Origin of beholder¹

behold ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

The collector’s psychology is in the eye of the beholder.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Hypocrisy is in the eye of the beholder,” says Ike Silver, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Southern California’s business school, who co-authored a study on the topic.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And, yes, the most common takeaway remains: Parents have no idea what’s going on with their teenagers — though “horror” is in the eye of the beholder.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Of course pragmatism lies in the eyes of the beholder.

Read more on BBC

The latter here is represented via a large puppet created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, and the walk-through experience will take us from taverns to the back alley of a marketplace to the beholder’s lair.

Read more on Los Angeles Times