Explaining "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

Reviewed and edited by

Anwar Kareem 12/10/2024, 14:37

English.me team member

What does it mean?

The phrase means that the perception of beauty is subjective and varies from person to person.

Tone

Subjective

Origin

The phrase is often credited to the 3rd century Greek text "The Eye of the Beholder" by Plato, though it's more commonly associated with its 19th-century English usage, such as in Margaret Wolfe Hungerford's book "Molly Bawn" published in 1878.

Examples of usage

When discussing the abstract painting, Lisa reminded her friends that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
He might not be conventionally attractive, but remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The garden's design wasn't to everyone's taste, but the artist believed that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.