dewy-eyed

American  

[doo-ee-ahyd, dyoo-] / ˈdu iˌaɪd, ˈdyu- /

adjective

1. romantically naive or credulous; sentimental, innocent, and trusting.

   dewy-eyed, aspiring young actresses.

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dewy-eyed British  

adjective

1. naive, innocent, or trusting, esp in a romantic or childlike way

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Etymology

Origin of dewy-eyed

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Led by the subject matter, he started singing more, his dewy-eyed timbre adding emotional depth to the fragmented, impressionistic soundscapes.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

Ms. Smith’s sketch was competing against lavish paintings done in oils, but Gerber’s judges were captivated by its innocent immediacy: The dewy-eyed Ann gazes straight at the viewer, her lips pursed as if in wonder.

From New York Times • Jun. 4, 2022

It came to symbolize the rapacious gluttony of that era — and its rejection of the dewy-eyed idealism of the 1960s.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2020

When our protagonist, a dewy-eyed young man named Hughie, encounters the depravity of one such hero, he joins the Boys, a gang of misfits led by a mysterious man called Butcher.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 17, 2019

A little dewy-eyed pond, blue as the sky, was staring at him out of a saucer of green.

From The Gentleman A Romance of the Sea by Ollivant, Alfred