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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of starry-eyed
This ancient practice has been a source of guidance and meaning for people from all walks of life, not just mystics and starry-eyed romantics.
—
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Even so, the journey from starry-eyed spectator to industry mainstay was anything but a straight line for the actress.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
As a result, his vocals have a kind of stately yet starry-eyed quality, giving structure to these deformed, cosmic beats from the internet abyss.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Sep. 2025
Scanning the crowd several times throughout the evening, the only things glowing were the beaming faces of the thousands of starry-eyed McCartney-ites in attendance.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Dimoo, a starry-eyed character imagined by Chinese artist Ayan Deng and turned into figurines by China’s Pop Mart, will be sporting the Swiss jeweler and watchmaker’s Ice Cube designs in limited-edition versions released exclusively in China.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Even so, the journey from starry-eyed spectator to industry mainstay was anything but a straight line for the actress.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
As a result, his vocals have a kind of stately yet starry-eyed quality, giving structure to these deformed, cosmic beats from the internet abyss.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Sep. 2025
Scanning the crowd several times throughout the evening, the only things glowing were the beaming faces of the thousands of starry-eyed McCartney-ites in attendance.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Dimoo, a starry-eyed character imagined by Chinese artist Ayan Deng and turned into figurines by China’s Pop Mart, will be sporting the Swiss jeweler and watchmaker’s Ice Cube designs in limited-edition versions released exclusively in China.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for starry-eyed
Adjective
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That sensibility is countered by Dina’s, who plays the romantic foil to Liberty’s pessimist.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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Williams and Preti’s love story first made headlines in the summer of 2024 when the pair were spotted enjoying a romantic boat trip along Italy’s Amalfi Coast.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Critics lambasted those policies as impractical at best, reckless at worst.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
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The Countach is also famously impractical and a pain to drive, so the next buyer will likely be taking on a more-than-usual stewardship role in terms of old supercars, the service not being to themselves but to the wider community, which gets to look at the Countach rather than operate it.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The series chronicles the decades-long relationship between Bailey’s bright-eyed and idealistic young congressional staffer Tim and Matt Bomer’s stern State Department official, Hawk.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Nov. 2025
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Cowley’s disillusioned but fundamentally idealistic cohort had an unexpected response.—
Michael Gorra,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The film, written by Barbosa alongside Werner Salles, is set in 1695 and sees a family of slaves organize a rebellion to flee in search of the utopian Quilombo dos Palmares following a call from the spiritual helm.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
3 Nov. 2025
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Flood’s playwright is haunted by the fact that her mother, like many in the movement, did eventually meet a man, settle down, and compromise on utopian ambitions to raise her kids.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Starry-eyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/starry-eyed. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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