as in romantic
having or marked by a tendency to be guided more by ideals than by reality
the starry-eyed notion that international sports competitions actually help foster global harmony
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Recent Examples of starry-eyed
The entire action takes places on a Broadway stage where 17 actors, both starry-eyed newcomers and grizzled stage veterans, are auditioning for one of eight spots on a chorus line of an upcoming musical.
—
Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 18 May 2026
Many excellent books are originally written in English, and yet every day starry-eyed translators add a handful more to the shelves.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
There is a starry-eyed optimism in the gesture that emphasizes the darker manipulations of their relationship.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Even amid dismal ratings for the US government overall, views of NASA remain relatively starry-eyed.
—Ariel Edwards-Levy, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
It had supposedly been made in the nineteen-forties, for an Italian countess or an English lady, then scrapped, and afterward either smuggled out of the workroom by a starry-eyed seamstress or, with the atelier head’s approval, given to one of the in-house models.
—Han Ong, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
On Tuesday night, as the NFL world reeled with the Maxx Crosby news and the NBA was starry-eyed at Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game, the rest of us were watching Team Italy embarrass the good ol’ US of A with an 8-6 win in the World Baseball Classic.
—Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
But Sexistential, released in March, pushes in the opposite direction, toward starry-eyed excess and abandon.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
The film’s plot is thrust in motion when a series of perverse scam calls unsettles an idyllic retirement community, watching as a starry-eyed nurse (Cemre Paksoy) becomes entangled with her mysterious patient (Bruce McKenzie).
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 18 May 2026
Many excellent books are originally written in English, and yet every day starry-eyed translators add a handful more to the shelves.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
There is a starry-eyed optimism in the gesture that emphasizes the darker manipulations of their relationship.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Even amid dismal ratings for the US government overall, views of NASA remain relatively starry-eyed.
—Ariel Edwards-Levy, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
It had supposedly been made in the nineteen-forties, for an Italian countess or an English lady, then scrapped, and afterward either smuggled out of the workroom by a starry-eyed seamstress or, with the atelier head’s approval, given to one of the in-house models.
—Han Ong, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
On Tuesday night, as the NFL world reeled with the Maxx Crosby news and the NBA was starry-eyed at Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game, the rest of us were watching Team Italy embarrass the good ol’ US of A with an 8-6 win in the World Baseball Classic.
—Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
But Sexistential, released in March, pushes in the opposite direction, toward starry-eyed excess and abandon.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
The film’s plot is thrust in motion when a series of perverse scam calls unsettles an idyllic retirement community, watching as a starry-eyed nurse (Cemre Paksoy) becomes entangled with her mysterious patient (Bruce McKenzie).
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for starry-eyed
Adjective
-
Expecting a romantic interlude, he is horrified to find Jenny’s lifeless body artfully arranged on the bed.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 June 2026
-
One of the island’s most iconic (and also inherently romantic) experiences is closing out the day in Mallory Square or aboard a catamaran cruise as the sky turns shades of pink and orange over the Gulf.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
Water is also a precious resource in space, making traditional washing impractical.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
2 June 2026
-
Physical storage, custody and transportation can make direct ownership impractical for many companies.—
Anthony Milewski,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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And how did an idealistic protest for protecting Black lives turn into a circle of silence surrounding the killing of a Black teenager?—
NPR,
NPR,
4 June 2026
-
The best of them are idiosyncratic and idealistic in the extreme.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
This is why the global village is not a utopian concept or ideal state for McLuhan.—
Brian A. Cogan,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 May 2026
-
There was little interest in either automation panic or utopian hype.—
C.M. Rubin,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Starry-eyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/starry-eyed. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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