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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wonderful
causing wonder or astonishment
that acclaimed magic act had a number of eye-opening moments
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of eye-opening
Bill Self in all his years of coaching basketball — that’s 23 seasons at Kansas and 10 combined at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois — has seen some incredible players put on eye-opening performances in their major college debuts.
—
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
Phillips is enjoying the Broncos’ success, following closely as Joseph, a former young assistant under him, continues to dial up eye-opening blitzes and confusing coverages.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Oct. 2025
On top of that, the snap counts against the Saints were eye-opening.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Another eye-opening breakthrough is what Fernando calls the Agentic AI Chemist.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Doing that while pregnant was both challenging and eye-opening.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 25 Sep. 2025
Losing Lamb is an eye-opening reality for Dallas.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
An eye-opening download may prompt you to question your worldview.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Bulgari Octo Finissimo x Lee Ufan Tourbillon Marble Talking to Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani of Bulgari about the latest member of the increasingly artful side of the Bulgari Finissimo family was eye-opening, as was the work of Lee Ufan.
—Thor Svaboe, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2025
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
Phillips is enjoying the Broncos’ success, following closely as Joseph, a former young assistant under him, continues to dial up eye-opening blitzes and confusing coverages.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Oct. 2025
On top of that, the snap counts against the Saints were eye-opening.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Another eye-opening breakthrough is what Fernando calls the Agentic AI Chemist.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Doing that while pregnant was both challenging and eye-opening.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 25 Sep. 2025
Losing Lamb is an eye-opening reality for Dallas.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
An eye-opening download may prompt you to question your worldview.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Bulgari Octo Finissimo x Lee Ufan Tourbillon Marble Talking to Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani of Bulgari about the latest member of the increasingly artful side of the Bulgari Finissimo family was eye-opening, as was the work of Lee Ufan.
—Thor Svaboe, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for eye-opening
Adjective
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There was a top 10 team that lost, but BYU was a 10-point underdog at Texas Tech, so the Red Raiders’ convincing win wasn’t technically all that surprising.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
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Instead, my friend and I were greeted by a mostly calm experience, which was surprising for a Friday night in South End.—
Evan Moore
November 11,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Christos honored their promise by gifting me with a wonderful collage in addition to my one-dollar paycheck.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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That scene was so incredibly awkward… and wonderful.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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However, what was so startling about Gueye’s performance was the decision-making.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
-
His comment was startling to the rest of the band.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Antetokounmpo delivered one of the most amazing closeout performances of all-time.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
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And the reach of Prime Video, especially globally, is really, really amazing.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Likewise, using the military to patrol the border is not a shocking mission.—
Peter D. Feaver,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
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The numbers game was too great before Rhea Ripley made her shocking return from an injury.—
Fernando Quiles Jr,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Every few minutes the jungle deposited us onto an astonishing beach.—
David Amsden,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
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The astonishing result, achieved by the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) collaboration, represents the first-ever observation of single top quark production with W and Z bosons, a process known as tWZ production.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Republican finger-pointing has begun in the wake of Democrats’ stunning success in Tuesday night’s elections.—
Julia Manchester,
The Hill,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Last summer, following Mamdani’s stunning primary victory, many friends and colleagues were anxious that this Democratic candidate was too liberal, too anti-business, too inexperienced for the global stage, and simply too young.—
Sally Susman,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Some miraculous news, unexpected news.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
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Blüemlisalphütte, its red and white shutters glinting in the miraculous sudden sunlight.—
Lucy Kehoe,
AFAR Media,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Eye-opening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eye-opening. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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