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beholder

beholder

21 5.8
A person who looks at something
  • noun
  • /bɪˈhoʊldər/
: observador
  • At any rate, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
  • the eye of the beholder
  • the heart of the beholder
  • the average beholder

Good and bad are emotions that exist in the cluttered head of the beholder.

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Examples

  • As a beholder of nature, she felt inspired by the beauty of the landscape.

  • Each beholder at the gallery had their own unique perspective on the painting.

  • Value is in the eye of the beholder, right?

  • Hey hey, beauty is in the eye of the beholder my dear.

  • Is it in the eye of the beholder, like beauty?

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

  • Truth, like art, is in the eye of the beholder.

  • "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," she said primly.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Haven’t you ever heard the phrase, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"?

  • The artist knew that every beholder would interpret his work differently.

Synonyms

viewer
vsbeholder
586 1.3

A person who watches TV or films

is broader and applies to any person who sees things
observer
vsbeholder
265 2.8

A person who watches and notices things, often to give expert opinion

is more general and lacks expert focus
watcher
vsbeholder
100 3.9

A person who watches a place or people to keep them safe

is a general observer without focus on constant monitoring
spectator
vsbeholder
93 2.6

A person who watches an event or show without taking part

is not limited to audience contexts and fits any seeing role
spotter
vsbeholder
25 4.4

A person who watches closely and reports storms, dangers, or animal sightings

is a general watcher without the specific task of reporting
onlooker
vsbeholder
23 3.2

A person who watches something without taking part

is more general and can mean observing in many contexts
looker
vsbeholder
4 3.8

A person who watches or looks at something, for example at a museum

is the neutral word for simple seeing without informal tone
attender
vsbeholder
2 3.1

A person who is at a meeting or lecture and listens

is a general viewer who may not be formally present at events
lookie
vsbeholder
  • Informal
2 9.9

A person who watches something without taking part

is a neutral and more formal way to describe someone watching
gazer
vsbeholder
2 4.0

A person who looks at something for a long time with interest or wonder

is a neutral watcher without prolonged fixed attention
percipient
vsbeholder
  • Formal
1 9.9

A person who notices things using their senses

is the neutral watching term rather than emphasizing perception
starer
vsbeholder
1 6.7

A person who looks at someone for a long time in an unfriendly way

is the plain observer who does not show hostile intent
perceiver
vsbeholder
1 7.5

A person who notices things using their senses

is more about simple seeing rather than inner sensory awareness
discerner
vsbeholder
1 7.5

A person who can notice small differences and good quality in things

is a simple seer who does not necessarily judge or evaluate
looker-on
vsbeholder
1 4.4

A person who watches an event without taking part

is the broader term for any person who simply sees events
witnesser
vsbeholder
1 6.9

A person who sees an event like a crime or accident and tells what happened

is not restricted to incident observation and reporting roles

Idioms

Different people think different things are beautiful

How Observant

observer
265 2.8
witness
∞ 2.5
beholder
21 5.8
viewer
586 1.3
bystander
79 3.4

Surface Forms

beholder singular
beholders plural

Morphology

beholder = behold (transparent) = behold + er

Agentive noun formed by productive suffix '-er' added to the verb 'behold', yielding 'one who sees'; the meaning follows directly.

Etymology

Beholder comes from the verb behold ('to see' or 'look at') plus the ending -er ('one who'). So a beholder is simply 'one who looks', which is why the word means a viewer and appears in the saying 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'.