beady
Americanadjective
-
beadlike; small, globular, and glittering.
beady eyes.
-
covered with or full of beads.
adjective
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small, round, and glittering: used esp of eyes
-
resembling or covered with beads
Other Word Forms
- beadily adverb
- beadiness noun
Etymology
Origin of beady
Explanation
Something that's beady is small and shiny, resembling a round bead. Your dog might stare at you with beady eyes whenever you eat peanut butter. Beady is almost always used to describe someone's eyes, especially if they're small, dark, and gleaming with some particular intent. A greedy person might appear to have beady eyes, and so might an intent listener in a college class. The word can also mean "decorated with beads," but this is much less common. At the heart of beady is bead, from bede, "prayer bead," by way of the Old English gebed, or "prayer."
Vocabulary lists containing beady
Where the Red Fern Grows
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The Skin I'm In
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Hello, Universe
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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.
The Treasury has already nudged competition authorities to make sure they are keeping a beady eye on the energy industry.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
He was short and balding, with beady brown eyes, a friendly face and gracious manner.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 25, 2025
Who knew there was so much nuance behind those beady eyes?
From Salon • Jan. 21, 2025
In their chickens, though — with close-set beady eyes and faces far more expressive than a real chicken’s stolid look could ever be — the studio located comic gold.
From New York Times • Dec. 14, 2023
His eyes got beady and his lip turned out.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
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.
