Scantily-clad woman standing in the arcade storefront window

Looking is the act of intentionally focusing

visual perception Visual perception is the ability to interpret the surrounding environment through photopic vision (daytime vision), color vision, scotopic vision (night vision), and mesopic vision (twilight vision), using light in the visible spectrum reflecte ...

on someone or something, for the purpose of obtaining

information Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random ...

, and possibly to convey

interest In finance and economics, interest is payment from a borrower or deposit-taking financial institution to a lender or depositor of an amount above repayment of the principal sum (that is, the amount borrowed), at a particular rate. It is distinct ...

or another sentiment. A large number of troponyms exist to describe variations of looking at things, with prominent examples including the verbs "stare, gaze, gape, gawp, gawk, goggle, glare, glimpse, glance, peek, peep, peer, squint, leer, gloat, and ogle".Anne Poch Higueras and Isabel Verdaguer Clavera, "The rise of new meanings: A historical journey through English ways of ''looking at''", in Javier E. Díaz Vera, ed., ''A Changing World of Words: Studies in English Historical Lexicography, Lexicology and Semantics'', Volume 141 (2002), p. 563-572. Additional terms with nuanced meanings include viewing, Madeline Harrison Caviness, ''Visualizing Women in the Middle Ages: Sight, Spectacle, and Scopic Economy'' (2001), p. 18. watching,John Mowitt, ''Sounds: The Ambient Humanities'' (2015), p. 3. eyeing,Charles John Smith, ''Synonyms Discriminated: A Complete Catalogue of Synonymous Words in the English Language'' (1871), p. 100-01. observing,Ty Clement, ''Being Ourself'' (2009), p. 25. beholding, and scanning. Looking is both a physical act of directing the focus of the

eyes Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conve ...

, and a psychological act of interpreting what is seen and choosing whether to continue looking at it, or to look elsewhere. Where more than one person is involved, looking may lead to

eye contact Eye contact occurs when two people look at each other's eyes at the same time. In humans, eye contact is a form of nonverbal communication and can have a large influence on social behavior. Coined in the early to mid-1960s, the term came from t ...

between those doing the looking, which raises further implications for the relationship established through that act.

Looking versus seeing

"Looking" and "seeing" are traditionally contrasted in a number of ways, although their usage often overlaps. Looking can be characterized as "the action precedent to seeing". Any kind of looking or viewing actually implies "seeing" certain things within the range of view, while not "seeing" others, because they are unimportant at the moment. Thus, things that are within the range of view, but which are unimportant to the viewer, may be treated by the brain as if they are transparent, by being looked over, past, and around. The distinction between "looking" and "seeing" has been compared to the distinction between

hearing Hearing, or auditory perception, is the ability to perceive sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psycholog ...

and

listening Listening is giving attention to a sound or action. When listening, a person hears what others are saying and tries to understand what it means. The act of listening involves complex affective, cognitive and behavioral processes. Affective proce ...

, with one being a rote activity and the other requiring a conscious and thoughtful effort to understand what is being seen or heard.Frances Guerin, ''On Not Looking: The Paradox of Contemporary Visual Culture'' (2015), p. 35. Because of the breadth and flexibility of both words, different authors may reverse the relationship in contrasting them, with one suggesting that a person can "look at" something without truly "seeing" it, while another might suggest that a person might be "seeing" something, but not truly "look at" it. Both arrangements suggest that the person is directing their vision towards the thing, but failing to give sufficient attention to notice specific characteristics or implications of what is in the visual field.

Looking in intense, pronounced, or prolonged ways

A number of troponyms exist to illustrate kinds of looking that are either intentionally or unconsciously done in intense, pronounced, or prolonged ways. "

Staring Staring is a prolonged gaze or fixed look. In staring, one object or person is the continual focus of visual interest, for an amount of time. Staring can be interpreted as being either hostile like disapproval of another's behavior, or the resul ...

" is an intense form of looking in which the eyes of the person looking remain fixed on the subject for an extended period, and is generally considered rude.R. C. Jiloha, ''Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplaces: Mental Health and Social Aspects'' (2021), p. 9: "'Non-verbal form' is in the form of facial expressions, gestures and actions such as staring, leering, making sexual gestures and whistling are also commonly experienced which are often tolerated silently by the victims without reporting". " Gazing" has historically implied intensity, but not aggressiveness, and may imply "wonder, fascination, awe, or admiration".Pamela B. DeVinne, ''The Right Word III: A Concise Thesaurus'' (1990), p. 88. In the twentieth century, however, sociologists began to use the term to suggest a power relationship between the person who is gazing and the subject of the gaze, with the former exercising an ability to define the latter. By contrast,

glaring A glare is a facial expression showing disapproval, fierceness and/or hostility. Glaring, in some cultures is considered offensive. A glare may be induced by anger or frustration. Visually, a glaring person tends to have their eyes fixed and h ...

does suggest aggressiveness and confrontation. "Eyeing" implies looking at something with some feeling involved, such as desire or wariness. "

Observing Observation is the active acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the perception and recording of data (information), data via the use of scienti ...

" implies looking at a specific object or area for a prolonged period specifically for purposes of

observation Observation is the active acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the perception and recording of data via the use of scientific instruments. The ...

, with the purpose of looking specifically being to obtain

about the thing being observed without necessarily either judging it or interfering with it. "Watching" implies a similar prolonged focus, but can also imply looking at something in a distracted or absentminded manner, such as watching television. "Gaping" and "gawking" also indicate prolonged acts of looking, but suggest that the person doing the looking is so mentally distracted by the subject being observed that they become unaware of their own conduct. At the extreme,

rubbernecking Rubbernecking is a derogatory term primarily used to refer to bystanders staring at accidents. More generally, it can refer to anyone staring at something of everyday interest compulsively (especially tourists). The term ''rubbernecking'' derive ...

is the physical act of craning one's neck, performed in order to get a better view, and has been described as a human trait that is associated with morbid

curiosity Curiosity (from Latin '' cūriōsitās'', from ''cūriōsus'' "careful, diligent, curious", akin to ''cura'' "care") is a quality related to inquisitive thinking such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in humans ...

. "Ogling" is an "impertinent" form of staring "often in a way that indicates improper interest". Another synonym, "leering", is often used to imply

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...

.Arthur Gillard, ''Sexual Harassment'' (2014), p. 92.

Looking in quick, subtle, or hidden ways

A number of troponyms exist to illustrate kinds of looking that are either intentionally or unconsciously done in a quick, subtle, or hidden way. "Glancing" and "glimpsing" are terms that imply looking at things in a subtle way, or seeing things very briefly before they move out of the range of vision. Although the two are often confused, a glance is more commonly a quick movement of the eye, whereas a glimpse is more often a result of the object being watched quickly moving out of sight.Sol Steinmetz, ''Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meaning'' (2009), p. 84-85. "Scanning" suggests quickly looking over an area "to get a general impression", accomplished "by rapidly noting one point after another". ''Glance'' appeared as a word prior to 1450, from

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...

''glacer'' or ''glacier'', a reference to the quick movement of slipping on

ice Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...

, and was first recorded as appearing with its current meaning in 1582. ''Glimpse'' appeared as a noun with its current meaning in 1580, from

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...

''glimsen'', and as a verb in 1779, although it was originally associated with seeing bright or shiny things. Playwright

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earlier ...

was fond of using ''glance'' as a

stage direction In theatre, blocking is the precise staging of actors to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera. Historically, the expectations of staging/blocking have changed substantially over time in Western theater. Prior to the movemen ...

. "Peeking" and "peeping" suggest looking at something that one is not supposed to be looking at, and doing so in a way that is intended to hide the fact that the person doing the peeking or peeping is looking. There is "an illegitimacy associated with peeping".Tracy B. Strong, "On Religion and the Strangeness of Speech", in Corey McCall, Tom Nurmi, ''Melville among the Philosophers'' (2017), p. 110. An aspect of the story of

Lady Godiva Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly reme ...

Peeping Tom Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly reme ...

— a tailor who spied on Godiva as she rode naked through her town to protest taxation — and subsequently was punished. Peeping "is in close relation to 'Peeking' — one peeps typically at sexual matters and 'peeks' when one wants surreptitiously to know what something is without being seen".

References

{{reflist Observation Vision Visual perception

Looking versus seeing

Looking in intense, pronounced, or prolonged ways

Looking in quick, subtle, or hidden ways

See also

References