Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having or showing only one eye: Describes a person, creature, or representation (like a playing card or a drawing) that possesses or displays a single eye, either because the other is missing, closed, injured, or simply not depicted.

Usage

The adjective "one-eyed" is used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like "is" or "was"). It is a compound adjective formed from "one" + "eyed."

Examples

• Attributive use (before a noun):
  • The pirate captain was a fearsome, one-eyed man.
  • In some card games, the one-eyed Jacks have special rules.
• Predicative use (after a linking verb):
  • After the accident, the old dog was one-eyed.
  • The statue appeared strangely one-eyed due to damage.

Advanced Usage

• "One-eyed" in mythology and folklore: Often used to describe mythical beings, emphasizing their otherness or monstrous nature.
  • Polyphemus, the one-eyed Cyclops, trapped Odysseus and his men in his cave.
• "One-eyed" in idioms and figurative use: Can imply a limited, biased, or narrow perspective, as if seeing the world with only one eye.
  • He has a one-eyed view of history, ignoring all evidence that contradicts his theory. (This is a figurative, critical usage).

Variants and Related Words

• One-eye: (noun, informal) A nickname for a one-eyed person or animal.
  • The old sailor was known to everyone as "One-eye."
• Eyeless: (adjective) Having no eyes at all.
• Cross-eyed: (adjective) Having eyes that look inward toward the nose.
• Wide-eyed: (adjective) Having the eyes wide open, especially in amazement, innocence, or surprise.

Synonyms

• Monocular: (formal, technical) Relating to, involving, or intended for use with only one eye. (e.g., monocular vision).
• Cyclopean: (literary) Of or like a Cyclops; one-eyed. (e.g., a cyclopean giant).

Related Phrases and Idioms

• In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king: (Proverb) A person with limited ability or knowledge is considered superior among those with even less ability or knowledge.
• One-eyed trouser snake: (vulgar slang) A crude, humorous term for the penis. (Warning: This is highly informal and offensive in most contexts.)

Adjective

1. having or showing only one eye
   • one-eyed Jacks are wild
   • the three one-eyed Cyclopes of Greek myth