Meanings
proverb
alternative beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder
- Different people have different views on what is beautiful; beauty is subjective.
He is referring to the relativity of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" an idea that became popular in the 18th cent.
1642, Charles Sorel, La Maison des Jeux, page 57
Origin
First use appears c. 1630 or c. 1642.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic الْجَمَالُ فِي عَيْنِ النَّاظِرِ
- الْجَمَالُ فِي عَيْنِ النَّاظِرِ (al-jamālu fī ʕayni n-nāẓiri)people have different ideas of what is beautiful
Bulgarian красота́та е в очи́те на гле́дащия
- красота́та е в очи́те на гле́дащия (krasotáta e v očíte na glédaštija)people have different ideas of what is beautiful
Chinese Mandarin 情人眼裡出西施 /情人眼里出西施, 情人眼中出西施
- 情人眼裡出西施 /情人眼里出西施 (qíngrén yǎnlǐ chū Xī Shī)people have different ideas of what is beautiful
- 情人眼中出西施 (qíngrén yǎnzhōng chū Xīshī)people have different ideas of what is beautiful
- 各花入各眼 (gèhuārùgèyǎn)people have different ideas of what is beautiful
Czech krása tkví v oku pozorovatele
- krása tkví v oku pozorovatelepeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Danish skønhed ligger i øjet der ser
- skønhed ligger i øjet der serpeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Dutch de schoonheid der vrijster ligt in 's vrijers oog
- de schoonheid der vrijster ligt in 's vrijers oogpeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Estonian ilu on vaataja silmades
- ilu on vaataja silmadespeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Finnish kauneus on katsojan silmissä
- kauneus on katsojan silmissäpeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
French il n’y a point de laides amours, des goûts et des couleurs il ne faut point disputer
- il n’y a point de laides amourspeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
- des goûts et des couleurs il ne faut point disputerpeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
German die Schönheit liegt im Auge des Betrachters
- die Schönheit liegt im Auge des Betrachterspeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Hebrew הַיּוֹפִי הוּא בְּעֵינֵי הַמִּתְבּוֹנֵן
- הַיּוֹפִי הוּא בְּעֵינֵי הַמִּתְבּוֹנֵן (ha-yófi hu b'enéy ha-mitbonén)people have different ideas of what is beautiful
Hindi खूबसूरती देखने वालों के आँखों में होती है
- खूबसूरती देखने वालों के आँखों में होती है (khūbsūrtī dekhne vālõ ke ā̃khõ mẽ hotī hai)people have different ideas of what is beautiful
Hungarian a szépség a szemlélő szemében van
- a szépség a szemlélő szemében vanpeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Irish is geal leis an bhfiach dubh a ghearrcach féin
- is geal leis an bhfiach dubh a ghearrcach féinpeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Italian la bellezza sta negli occhi di chi guarda
- la bellezza sta negli occhi di chi guardapeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Korean 제 눈에 안경
- 제 눈에 안경 (je nune an'gyeong)people have different ideas of what is beautiful
Malay ايلوق بوروق د مات اورڠ تقکن سام د مات کيت, elok buruk di mata orang takkan sama di mata kita
- ايلوق بوروق د مات اورڠ تقکن سام د مات کيتpeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
- elok buruk di mata orang takkan sama di mata kitapeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Persian علف باید به دهان بزی شیرین بیاید
- علف باید به دهان بزی شیرین بیاید (alaf bâyad be dahân-e bozi širin biyâyad)people have different ideas of what is beautiful
Polish nie to ładne, co ładne, ale to co się komu podoba
- nie to ładne, co ładne, ale to co się komu podobapeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Portuguese a beleza está nos olhos de quem vê, a beleza está nos olhos de quem a vê
- a beleza está nos olhos de quem vêpeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
- a beleza está nos olhos de quem a vêpeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Romanian frumusețea este în ochii privitorului
- frumusețea este în ochii privitoruluipeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Russian не по хоро́шу мил, а по ми́лу хоро́ш, красота́ в глаза́х смотря́щего
- не по хоро́шу мил, а по ми́лу хоро́ш (ne po xoróšu mil, a po mílu xoróš)people have different ideas of what is beautiful
- красота́ в глаза́х смотря́щего (krasotá v glazáx smotrjáščevo)people have different ideas of what is beautiful
Slovak rása je v oku pozorovateľa
- rása je v oku pozorovateľapeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Spanish la belleza está en los ojos del que la mira, la belleza está en los ojos del observador
- la belleza está en los ojos del que la mirapeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
- la belleza está en los ojos del observadorpeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
- la belleza está en los ojos delmirantepeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Swedish skönheten ligger i betraktarens ögon
- skönheten ligger i betraktarens ögonpeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Turkish güzellik bakanın gözündedir
- güzellik bakanın gözündedirpeople have different ideas of what is beautiful
Cite this entry
APA
beauty is in the eye of the beholder. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beauty%20is%20in%20the%20eye%20of%20the%20beholder
MLA
“beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beauty%20is%20in%20the%20eye%20of%20the%20beholder. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beauty%20is%20in%20the%20eye%20of%20the%20beholder.
Source: beauty is in the eye of the beholder on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.