Synonyms of wide-eyednext
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

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
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.
When Halle Bailey moved from Georgia to Los Angeles as a wide-eyed preteen nearly 15 years ago, the city felt like a wonderland of possibility. Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026 Her career is filled with the kinds of on-the-ground adventures that should inspire plenty of wide-eyed journalism students who haven’t yet realized how much of the job is just staring at laptop screens. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026 She was also shown a black-and-white photo of Athena in the FedEx delivery truck with Horner; Athena was wide-eyed while Horner drove. Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026 The camera pans across the first two dogs, both of whom appear perfectly clean, wide-eyed, and seemingly innocent. Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wide-eyed

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wide-eyed was in 1789

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Cite this Entry

“Wide-eyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wide-eyed. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

wide-eyed

adjective
ˈwīd-ˈīd
1
: having the eyes wide open especially with wonder or astonishment
2

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