slant-eyed

[slant-ahyd, slahnt-]

adjective

1. having eyes with epicanthic folds.

2. having eyes that appear to slant.

3. Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.,  being from East Asia, especially a Chinese or Japanese person.

Sensitive Note

Slant, slant-eye, slant-eyed, and slope are highly offensive slurs that derive from a description of Asian eyes that appear to slant because of epicanthic folds. The adjective slant-eyed was first used in the 1860s. The noun slant-eye dates from the 1920s, and was shortened to slant at the beginning of World War II. The term slope first appeared in the late 1940s. These slurs were all used during the Vietnam War to refer to the Vietnamese.

Word History and Origins

Origin of slant-eyed¹

First recorded in 1860–65