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eyeopener

American  
[ahy-oh-puh-ner] / ˈaɪˌoʊ pə nər /

noun

  1. an experience or disclosure that gives one a sudden realization or understanding.

    Her disclosures about her childhood were a real eyeopener.

  2. a drink of liquor taken early in the day and intended to wake a person up fully.

Etymology

Origin of eyeopener

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20; eye + opener

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I'm reading it now, and it is an eyeopener.

From New York Times • Apr. 3, 2019

This trip was an eyeopener to American travelers who saw the statesman of the church riding in a plane break out his portable typewriter and vigorously go to work in midair.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.