the naked eye


Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia.

the naked eye

Normal vision that has not been enhanced or augmented in any way. Because bacteria are invisible to the naked eye, it was only relatively recently in human history that we even became aware of their existence. The fine print is so tiny, you can barely make it out with the naked eye.
See also: eye, naked
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

*naked eye

the human eye, unassisted by optics, such as a telescope, microscope, or spectacles. (*Typically: appear to ~; look to ~; see with ~; visible to~.) I can't see the bird's markings with the naked eye. The scientist could see nothing in the liquid with the naked eye, but with the aid of a microscope, she identified the bacteria. That's how it appears to the naked eye.
See also: eye, naked

with the naked eye

with eyes that are not aided by telescopes, microscopes, or binoculars. The moon is quite visible with the naked eye. Bacteria are too small to be seen with the naked eye.
See also: eye, naked
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

naked eye

Sight unassisted by an instrument such as a microscope or telescope. For example, These insects are too small to be seen with the naked eye. This expression was first recorded in 1664.
See also: eye, naked
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

the naked eye

COMMON If something can be seen with the naked eye, you can see it without the help of equipment such as a telescope or microscope. These green insects, just visible to the naked eye, are generally found on the under side of the leaves. Enough light gets through space for us to see thousands of stars with the naked eye.
See also: eye, naked
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

the naked ˈeye

the normal power of your eyes without the help of an instrument: Bacteria are invisible to the naked eye.
See also: eye, naked
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
See also:
References in periodicals archive ?
A spokesman from BAE Systems, said: "A vehicle with Adaptiv on can be seen very slightly with the naked eye. However, we are improving the technology all the time.
'Invisibility cloak' for military vehicles tested
Several bright and dark nebulae can be seen here with the naked eye from dark skies.
Star charts
I can resolve 1.047" at 100 yards, but by definition, I can't resolve .294" with the naked eye at 100 yards and certainly not .049" at 600 yards.
Can you see it? Resolving power matters
Until recently, mouth cancer was only detected by the naked eye but the VELscope can detect lesions, precancerous and cancerous tissue not apparent to the naked eye.
New tool to screen for mouth cancer
The scientist said: "It looks green to the naked eye and a careful scrutiny of the dark site will reveal the bright outer head and an inner shell of brighter light."
It's elementary to spot the new comet Holmes
This dress may look normal to the naked eye, but snap a picture with a digital camera and hidden images appear.
Optical illusion
At the heart of these systems is a digital multispectral camera that can take photos at different wavelengths simultaneously and can even detect light invisible to the naked eye. The systems include the latest, fastest cameras of this type.
Executives ... FYI
Over the next few days it should be visible to the naked eye, close to the sun and near the horizon in both evening and morning skies.
Comet treat for sky-watchers
The photographs are quite vivid to the naked eye as well, and the accompanying text by California-born historian David Burkhart recounts the historical debacle captured in the tragic images.
Earthquake Days
But Mars was not as big as the moon to the naked eye then, nor will it ever be.
Massive Mars just a big fib
Christensen, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, along with Anthony, a partner at consulting firm Innosight LLC, and Roth, a consultant with McKinsey & Co., propound an argument that "a structured, rigorous process of looking at an industry or industry segment through the lenses of the theories of innovation provides powerful insights not readily observable to the naked eye." They detail these grounding tenets in the first part of the book, then focus on how to use the theories to assess the future of five distinct industries: aviation, education, semiconductors, healthcare and telecommunications.
Seeing What's Next: Using the Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change
These first researchers started with a torn rubber sample and evaluated it with the naked eye. With the advent of electron microscopy in the early 1950s, the focus shifted to analyzing filler aggregates in the sub micron range (in order to closely recognize filler morphology and structure) as well as to studying in the micron region (in order to more generally characterize a compound).
Dispersion measurements using video techniques
It is the small print that hides the catches, so why, if the agreement is all above board, does any legitimate business have to hide behind print that is so small it can't be seen with the naked eye. Make all agreements have print that is legible to the naked eye and that will stop a lot of the crooks stealing people's lives.
Letter: Cut out the small print for loans
While far from perfect on that count, he says that forward visibility can be increased by 50% over what is normally visible to the naked eye. Right now Elbit only has a bulky roofrack-mounted prototype, so a lot of miniaturization work still needs to be done, and David confirms that the CCD camera will have to be replaced with a much cheaper CMOS unit to get the price where it needs to be for mass production.
Laser light show
Idioms browser ?
Full browser ?