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

A Sacramento school district employee has come under fire after video during a Zoom class showed her making a slant-eyed gesture that is disparaging to Asians.

From Los Angeles Times

As Dimitra Fimi, author of Tolkien, Race and Cultural History, writes on her blog, the forces of “good” in Middle-earth are fair-skinned, while forces of “evil” are dark; Orcs are “slant-eyed, swarthy and sallow-skinned”; the “heroes” are all white-skinned.

From The Guardian

Sergio Busato was photographed smiling and making a slant-eyed gesture with his fingers after Russia beat the Koreans in a decisive qualification match for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Kaliningrad, Russia, on Aug. 4.

From Seattle Times

Sergio Busato was photographed smiling and making a slant-eyed gesture with his fingers after Russia beat the Koreans in a decisive qualification match for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Kaliningrad, Russia, on Aug. 4.

From Washington Times

The slant-eyed gesture made by Yuli Gurriel — aimed at Dodgers starter Yu Darvish, who is part Japanese — earned a five-game suspension, which the Astros first baseman will serve at the start of next season.

From Los Angeles Times