'easy-on-the-eyes' originates from English, specifically the words 'easy' (from Old English 'eaþe') and 'eye' (from Old English 'ēage'), where 'eaþe' meant 'easy, comfortable' and 'ēage' meant 'eye' (the organ of sight).

'easy-on-the-eyes' developed as a compound descriptive phrase in modern English (19th–20th century) from earlier expressions such as 'pleasing to the eye' and eventually became the idiomatic 'easy on the eyes'.

Initially the components referred simply to 'ease/comfort' and 'the eye' (literally 'not difficult for the eye'); over time the phrase came to mean 'visually attractive' or 'pleasant to look at'.