eye-opener

noun

eye-open·​er ˈī-ˌō-pə-nər How to pronounce eye-opener (audio)
-ˌōp-nər
1
: a drink intended to wake one up
2
: something startling, surprising, or enlightening
her biography is a real eye-opener
eye-opening
ˈī-ˌō-pə-niŋ How to pronounce eye-opener (audio)
-ˌōp-niŋ
adjective

Examples of eye-opener in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And Thompson-Robinson might be in for an eye-opener facing Aaron Donald for the first time. Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023 Generic Viagra Prices in the U.S. vs. International Markets Comparing prices of generic Viagra in the United States and other countries can be quite an eye-opener. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 5 Nov. 2023 That song was written to be an eye-opener, so maybe some of your kids or grandkids will feel guilty and go see about grandma or go see about grandpa. Liza Lentini, SPIN, 26 Oct. 2023 The findings are quite the eye-opener: one in 10 Amazon customers have been offered incentives like gift cards, refunds and even free products, all in a bid to rack up those golden stars next to products. Kurt Knutsson, Fox News, 16 Oct. 2023 The biggest eye-opener, however, was legislation to allow striking workers to collect state unemployment insurance after two weeks. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2023 Its inclusion in this show will no doubt be an eye-opener for Smithsonian viewers and, for some of them, a soothing balm. Kriston Capps, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023 Cue the Salma — a nice balance of mezcal, fig puree, egg white and black lemon — and Arak in a Hard Place, a vivid orange eye-opener that refreshes with elderflower liqueur and sparkling wine. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 21 July 2023 Her offhand mention of their marital infidelities — William’s being more involved than hers — is an eye-opener. Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eye-opener.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of eye-opener was in 1817

Dictionary Entries Near eye-opener

Cite this Entry

“Eye-opener.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eye-opener. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on eye-opener

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!