in the eye of

Idioms  

1. In the center or focal point of something, as in They were right in the eye of this controversy . This term employs eye in the sense of “a central spot,” a usage dating from the mid-1700s.

2. in the eyes of . In the view or opinion of, from the standpoint of. For example, In the eyes of his fans Elvis could do no wrong , or In the eyes of the law he was a fugitive . The eyes here allude to their function, seeing. [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in the eye of

An emergency is in the eye of the beholder, they suggest; standing is in the eye of the beholder.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026

“Attractive,” after all, is in the eye of the beholder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Of course, reasonableness is in the eye of the beholder — but to my eye, the reported numbers do not seem too generous.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026

“The fund is going to plaintiffs who were victims of lawfare or weaponization. … Those are pretty ambiguous terms. They’re sort of in the eye of the beholder,” Nixon said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

Raymond Starnes, the principal of Odessa High, agreed, stating that “football is in the eye of the storm in the controversy over boundaries.”

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger