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slant-eyed

American  
[slant-ahyd, slahnt-] / ˈslæntˌaɪd, ˈslɑnt- /

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.

Etymology

Origin of slant-eyed

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The scientific name, Limulus polyphemus, loosely translates as "slant-eyed Cyclops."

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.