Meaning
To agree completely with someone; to hold the same view or opinion. It applies to people rather than things, and it is especially common in the negative, where it serves as a tactful, well-worn way of saying that two parties disagree. Neutral register; most often negated ('we don't see eye to eye') as a mild, diplomatic description of disagreement. Regional use: General English.
Origin
The Phrase Finder traces the idiom to 17th-century Britain, with the ultimate source in the Bible. The verse behind it is Isaiah 52:8 in the King James translation, 'for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion', where the words mean seeing directly, face to face, with one's own eyes, not sharing an opinion. A Phrase Finder discussion quoting the Oxford English Dictionary notes that the modern use for 'to be of one mind, think alike' is 'often misused' relative to that original sense. By the twentieth century the agreement sense was standard, with citations including the Times Literary Supplement (1938) and the Spectator (1939). The idiom in its current meaning thus grew out of the familiar KJV wording rather than reproducing the verse's literal sense.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- not see eye to eye
- see eye to eye with someone
- see things eye to eye
- seeing eye to eye
Usage Examples
- The two co-founders have never seen eye to eye on how fast the company should expand.
- After weeks of negotiation, the board and the union finally see eye to eye on the pay offer.
- They have a happy marriage even though they rarely see eye to eye about money.