wide-eyed

adjective

ˈwīd-ˈīd 

1

: having or marked by unsophisticated or uncritical acceptance or admiration : naive

wide-eyed innocence

2

: having the eyes wide open especially with wonder or astonishment

Synonyms of wide-eyed

• naive
• innocent
• inexperienced
• simple

Examples of wide-eyed in a Sentence

a wide-eyed and trusting child

the sort of phony UFO "artifacts" that wide-eyed tourists fall for

Recent Examples on the Web

Thomasin McKenzie plays a young woman, Alyce, steeped in her own trauma and loss, who attaches herself to the ploughman, and her ability to express wide-eyed, barely contained hysteria and fear is unmatched. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Also, holding your center of energy at a sort of young, wide-eyed, youthful place that has a big heart is a pleasant feeling. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026

That mix of wide-eyed naïveté and pragmatic nous does seem typically American. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

But mostly, Clancy has remained silent and wide-eyed, her gaze wandering around the courtroom as though searching for something. — Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for wide-eyed

• acetamide
• acetonide
• acidified
• antimonide
• beatified
• benzaldehyde
• borohydride
• chalcogenide
• commodified
• decalcified
• declassified
• disaccharide

Kids Definition

wide-eyed

adjective

ˈwīd-ˈīd

1

: having the eyes wide open especially with wonder or astonishment

2

: naive sense 2