as in shocks
informal
something that shows or teaches you something in a surprising way
Traveling abroad can be a real eye-opener to many people. They say her biography is quite an eye-opener.
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Recent Examples of eye-openers
These two series are eye-openers about some of the ways people outside our experiences live.
—
Colleen Kujawa, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
The closeness in my race and the closeness in the president's race last year were real eye-openers.
—ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
Beringer noted the speed and physicality of Minnesota’s preseason games have been eye-openers.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 14 Oct. 2025
But under the hood, there are some other eye-openers.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Colleen Kujawa, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
The closeness in my race and the closeness in the president's race last year were real eye-openers.
—ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
Beringer noted the speed and physicality of Minnesota’s preseason games have been eye-openers.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 14 Oct. 2025
But under the hood, there are some other eye-openers.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for eye-openers
Noun
-
Analysts said a unique component of the fallout from the Iran war is that, unlike in previous oil shocks, renewable power has become more competitive in many countries around the world.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
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Fatih Birol told Australia's National Press Club in Canberra the crisis in the Middle East has had a worse impact on oil than the two oil shocks of the 1970s combined, and a worse effect on gas markets than the Russia-Ukraine war.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The investigation was opened after a referral from France’s Foreign Ministry and follows revelations published in the Epstein files and subsequent reporting in France.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
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The existence of the federal subpoena and revelations about a series of FBI interviews illustrate that the investigation could be far along, said McInerney, who is not involved with the probe and spoke with The Star as a legal expert.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Guests can expect to break out their detective skills to find hidden eggs packed with prizes, dares and surprises throughout the property in an Easter Egg Hunt After Dark.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
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Daily marquee presentations with stars, storytellers and surprises.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Then, as the pandemic waned, in 2023 and early ’24, came two jolts to the system – federal pandemic-era assistance ended, pulling food and food-related funding away from charities, and the number of people seeking food continued to grow.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
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Two of America’s largest tech companies suffered stunning defeats in court this week, sustaining early jolts in what could prove to be a seismic shift in how social media operates amid a new landscape of legal risk.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Eye-openers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eye-openers. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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