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

Example Sentences

I presume that slant-eyed cook is sitting in his wagon waiting for us to come back.

From Project Gutenberg

Burly Russians; treacherous, slant-eyed Yellow men have tried it; yes, and daring white crooks, too.

From Project Gutenberg

Tsulʻkălû′, the slant-eyed giant (p. 337): The story of Tsulʻkălû′ is one of the finest and best known of the Cherokee legends.

From Project Gutenberg

The same slant-eyed men, in broken files, went scuffing over filthy stone, like wanderers lost in a tunnel.

From Project Gutenberg

In her plaintive interlude, the slant-eyed servants watched her, nodding and muttering under the camphor trees.

From Project Gutenberg