Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

argus-eyed

/ˈɑɹɡəsˌaɪd/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.00 in modern English

Syllables
Ar-gus-eyed
IPA
/ˈɑɹɡəsˌaɪd/
14
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Ever vigilant; watchful to the point that nothing escapes notice.

adj

Possessing exceptionally keen eyesight; sharp-eyed.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Argus + eye + -ed, a parasynthetic formation (compare blue-eyed, eagle-eyed). From Argus Panoptes (Ἄργος Πανόπτης (Árgos Panóptēs, “all-seeing Argus”), from πᾶν (pân, “all”) + ὄπτης (óptēs, “one who sees”)), a many-eyed giant of Greek mythology who served Hera as a watchman. Set to guard Io, a priestess whom Zeus had transformed into a heifer, Argus kept unceasing watch because some of his hundred eyes always remained open; he was eventually lulled asleep and slain by Hermes, after which Hera set his eyes into the tail of the peacock. His name became proverbial for unsleeping watchfulness, whence the adjective. Attested since before 1500. Compare the roughly contemporaneous Argus-like (from 1597), and the unrelated-in-sense but same-eponym argus (“a butterfly marked with eyespots”).

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɑɹɡəsˌaɪd/
  • British English: /ˈɑːɡəsˌaɪd/

Inflected Forms

more Argus-eyed (comparative) most Argus-eyed (superlative)

Phrases

Argus-like

Frequently Paired Words

Argus Argus-like panoptic panopticon vigilant

Synonyms

eagle-eyed hawk-eyed lynx-eyed open-eyed wakeful watchful alert aware heedful hip observant on guard

Antonyms

heedless inattentive oblivious unobservant

Questions

How do you pronounce argus-eyed?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɑɹɡəsˌaɪd/.
What does argus-eyed mean?
Ever vigilant; watchful to the point that nothing escapes notice.
Where does argus-eyed come from?
Argus + eye + -ed, a parasynthetic formation (compare blue-eyed, eagle-eyed). From Argus Panoptes (Ἄργος Πανόπτης (Árgos Panóptēs, “all-seeing Argus”), from πᾶν (pân, “all”) + ὄπτης (óptēs, “one who sees”)), a many-eyed giant of Greek mythology who served Hera as a watchman. Set to guard Io, a priestess whom Zeus had transformed into a heifer, Argus kept unceasing watch because some of his hundred eyes always remained open; he was eventually lulled asleep and slain by Hermes, after which Hera set his eyes into the tail of the peacock. His name became proverbial for unsleeping watchfulness, whence the adjective. Attested since before 1500. Compare the roughly contemporaneous Argus-like (from 1597), and the unrelated-in-sense but same-eponym argus (“a butterfly marked with eyespots”).

How to pronounce argus-eyed

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “argus-eyed”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɑɹɡəsˌaɪd/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “argus-eyed”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “argus-eyed” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.