See Eye to Eye – Idiom, Origin & Meaning

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Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

Do you see eye to eye when it comes to certain issues? If you struggle to understand what “eye to eye” means, I’ll explain all the details right here in this short guide to the idiomatic phrase. So, hang around to the end and see for yourself what “eye to eye” means and how to use it.

See Eye to Eye Meaning

See Eye to Eye Idiom Origin Meaning

The age-old phrase “see eye to eye” means to agree with someone or share the same opinion on something. When two or more people in a situation see eye to eye on something, they’ve got a mutual understanding about whatever it is in question.

A great example would be parenting. Two parents may not see eye to eye on certain parenting tactics, like letting a baby cry itself to sleep in order to sleep train vs. soothing the baby to sleep each time it cries.

Is See Eye to Eye an Idiom?

Yes, when you say “see eye to eye,” you’re using an idiom because it’s not a literal statement.

Origin of See Eye to Eye

The roots of the idiom “see eye to eye” can be traced back to the Bible. The phrase first appears in the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 52:8) in the King James Version: “Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion.”

When looking at it in this context, you can see how it implies there’s a shared vision or understanding. Over time, like most ancient phrases, it’s evolved to represent agreement or harmony in opinions and perspectives.

Is Eye to Eye Hyphenated?

Nope! “Eye to eye” doesn’t need to be hyphenated when you use it within the idiom “see eye to eye.” But if used as a compound adjective before a noun, it should definitely be hyphenated to appear as “eye-to-eye.”

  • Ace and Mark never see eye to eye on anything regarding the project.
  • Ace and Mar had an eye-to-eye confrontation about the next step in the project. (Here, it modifies the word confrontation.)

What Is an Antonym for See Eye to Eye?

A good antonym for “see eye to eye” is any word or phrase that shows a disagreement of some sort or differing opinions between two parties.

  • Disagree
  • Differ
  • Be at odds
  • Clash
  • Have a difference of opinion

See Eye to Eye Examples in a Sentence

See Eye to Eye Idiom Origin Meaning 1
  • Although Sarah and Michelle have totally different personalities, the twin sisters see eye to eye on most things, like food and books.
  • Our team members don’t always see eye to eye, but we still manage to work together and get the job done.
  • The tired politicians were unable to see eye to eye throughout the heated debate, and no conclusions were drawn.
  • After a really long discussion, my husband and I finally saw eye to eye on our summer vacation plans.
  • It’s rare for the entire parental committee to see eye to eye on every decision the school board makes.

We See Eye to Eye When It Comes to Grammar

As with any idiom, context is the most important factor when using the phrase “see eye to eye” in your conversations or writing. Knowing when and how to use this phrase, as well as its antonyms, you can convey your thoughts with clarity and nuance. Good luck!

Enjoyed reading about this idiom? Check out some others we covered: