eye-opening

adjective

Definition of eye-openingnext
1
as in surprising
causing a strong emotional reaction because of unexpectedness hunting for a first apartment in a big city is an eye-opening experience for young people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wonderful
causing wonder or astonishment that acclaimed magic act had a number of eye-opening moments

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of eye-opening And if the right audience is primed, her surreal performances can be eye-opening and even cathartic for many. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 27 July 2026 The idea that my energy impacts everyone around me was eye-opening. — Serenity Gibbons, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 The pieces of it that Weiden shares with us, including a passage about Native athletes’ crucial role in the early history of the sport of football, are eye-opening. — Chris Hewitt, Boston Herald, 10 July 2026 The breadth of Cannes Lions is eye-opening for media and entertainment insiders who get to see and hear how technology and digital disruption are transforming other industries. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 27 June 2026 Yet what the 18-year-old from Whitehorse, Yukon, did in improving his paddle skills was eye-opening to Gadowsky in reflecting McKenna’s innate competitiveness. — John Wawrow, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026 Though the Vancouver Canucks weren’t directly involved in the action, the consistent drumbeat of seismic deals was eye-opening and instructive. — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 24 June 2026 Both trips will be painful, eye-opening, and telling. — Michael Stevens, New York Daily News, 19 June 2026 The financial contrast was particularly eye-opening given the cost of becoming an attorney. — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for eye-opening
  1. surprising
  2. wonderful
  3. startling
  4. amazing
  5. shocking
  6. astonishing
  7. stunning
  8. miraculous
Adjective
  • Perhaps more surprising is that the vast majority—70%—were employed, a share that has held steady, meaning co-residency is climbing owing to growth in adults with steady jobs rather than those looking for work.
    — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 29 July 2026
  • This is a terrific role for Woodall, with shades of his party-boy hustler in season two of The White Lotus, Sal’s loose-cannon volatility balanced by surprising loyalty to Tony.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 July 2026
Definition of surprising
Adjective
  • Start with the escargot, which pack a wonderful buttery, garlicky punch, each bite topped with a perfect, tiny puff pastry.
    — Connie Ogle July 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • The combination of David’s wonderful scripts, Lenny back directing on the BBC, Element Pictures producing, and Claire and Mathew leading our cast is a real gift.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 July 2026
Definition of wonderful
Adjective
  • Despite the early morning hour, the oceanfront hotels were already abuzz, a startling contrast to the more relaxed mood at Hotel Wailea.
    — Ronee Uyeshiro, Travel + Leisure, 26 July 2026
  • The bat fell onto a table at the Yellow Deli in Vista, startling patrons.
    — Seamus Bozeman Follow, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of startling
Adjective
  • But the Orlando installation also will not have the amazing hillside setting with its valley and mountain views that the California original promises.
    — Robert Niles, Oc Register, 21 July 2026
  • Harnessing the amazing benefits AI can provide means first developing your executive decision-making skills.
    — Hanneke Antonelli, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of amazing
Adjective
  • This mixture of raucous comedy and unusually vivid war scenes was considered quite shocking for its time.
    — Tim Page, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2026
  • The first story was set in the 1980s while the second volume, recently wrapped, was set in the 1990s, at the dawn of the Internet age and culminated with a shocking finale that left readers’ jaws on the forest floor.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2026
Definition of shocking
Adjective
  • Mathieu van der Poel pulled off one of the most astonishing victories of his career on Sunday, holding off the peloton on the Champs-Élysées to win stage 21 of the Tour de France.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 July 2026
  • Kelly makes frequent cracks about the astonishing sequence of events that landed him in his current peacocking profession.
    — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of astonishing
Adjective
  • In a stunning turn, a Sacramento Superior Court judge declared a mistrial Tuesday in the K Street mass shooting murder trial of surviving suspects Dandrae Martin and Mtula Payton after jurors failed to reach verdicts on the remaining charges.
    — Reeti Malhotra, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2026
  • The Valkyries couldn’t buy a bucket from that point and Washington hit enough free throws to seal a stunning win on the road.
    — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 21 July 2026
Definition of stunning
Adjective
  • The following season, Newcastle came third in the Premier League and Andy Cole scored 41 goals, a miraculous rise by the standards of most clubs and vertiginous for Newcastle.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • They’re tossed in a blend of malt-vinegar powder, sugar, salt, black pepper, and MSG, a miraculous combination that activates every sensory receptor simultaneously, and nearly blows out your palate for anything else.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 19 July 2026
Definition of miraculous

Browse Nearby Words

eye-openers
eye-opening
eyes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Eye-opening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eye-opening. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of comely

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All