Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

bright-eyed

American  
[brahyt-ahyd] / ˈbraɪtˌaɪd /

adjective

  1. having bright eyes.

  2. alertly eager.

idioms

  1. bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, alertly eager; full of energy and enthusiasm.

    Get a good night's sleep so you'll be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning.
bright-eyed British  

adjective

  1. eager; fresh and enthusiastic

  2. informal keen, confident, and alert

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bright-eyed

First recorded in 1585–95

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.

Frank is the bright-eyed, mustachioed face of Christian music’s new wave: He has earned more than 1.2 billion on-demand streams in the U.S. in 2025, according to the data company Luminate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025

Over the years since I was a bright-eyed, 20-something staffer, I’ve come to doubt the practicality of a bipartisan Latino caucus, which now seems like a lost opportunity of the last generation.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2025

Sardar Gul has two malnourished children – three-year-old Umar and eight-month-old Mujib, a bright-eyed little boy he holds on his lap.

From BBC • Sep. 9, 2024

I do think a lot of times female protagonists have been very young and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and very plucky.

From Salon • Aug. 12, 2024

For days ahead of time I practiced looking sorry, levelheaded, bright-eyed, and determined to succeed.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

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.