evil eye

American  

[ee-vuhl ahy] / ˈi vəl ˈaɪ /

Or Evil Eye

noun

1. Often Facetious. a look expressing hostility, stern disapproval, jealousy, etc..

   As he left he turned and cast an evil eye in my direction, full of contempt.

   I’d better get off the phone—I’m getting the evil eye from my mom.

2. a look thought to be capable of inflicting bad luck or misfortune on the person at whom it is directed.

   One did not need to be a witch to give the evil eye—it could happen accidentally.

3. the power, superstitiously attributed to certain persons, of inflicting bad luck or misfortune by a look.

   The evil eye was recognized by the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and ancient Egyptians from as early as 3000 b.c.

4. an attack carried out by means of magic power exercised through a look; a curse, jinx, or spell.

   Do you know anyone who can remove the evil eye?

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evil eye British  

noun

1. a look or glance superstitiously supposed to have the power of inflicting harm or injury

2. the power to inflict harm, etc, by such a look

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evil eye Idioms  

1. The power to cause injury or misfortune, as in The tomatoes died shortly after planting—I must have an evil eye. The source of this expression is the ancient superstitious belief that some individuals could inflict harm on others simply by looking at them. Today the term is generally used figuratively or ironically, as above, and also in the form give someone the evil eye, which means “glare malevolently at someone.” For example, Helen gave his cat the evil eye, hoping it would stay out of her garden. [Late 1300s]

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Other Word Forms

• evil-eyed adjective

Etymology

Origin of evil eye

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English

Example Sentences

The 21-year-old says a lot of her friends are the same and reference the "evil eye" as a reason for not posting their partners.

From BBC • Nov. 8, 2025

Depictions of roses, a skull, a goat and a Santería evil eye dance around them, illuminated in sepia spotlights and looking like they could have come straight from a deck of tarot cards.

From Washington Times • Nov. 6, 2023

Roberts disingenuously implies that colleges and universities, like Yick Wo’s persecutors, discriminate “with an evil eye and an unequal hand.”

From Slate • Jun. 30, 2023

Practices include black magic, white magic, Wicca, Reiki, Tarot, astrology, and healers of the evil eye and other ailments.

From New York Times • Dec. 17, 2022

Her bad heart floats in her body like an eye, an evil eye, it sees me.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• bad eye