beady-eyed
Americanadjective
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marked by or having small, glittering eyes, especially eyes that seem to gleam with malice, avarice, or lechery.
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staring with suspicion, skepticism, etc..
The gambler gave the newcomer a beady-eyed look.
Etymology
Origin of beady-eyed
First recorded in 1870–75
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.
"Should I feel anything?" asks the beady-eyed man, sitting in a padded cell with handcuffs around his wrists.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025
These beady-eyed amphibians can be found on the banks of noisy streams throughout China, where the rapids would drown out ordinary croaks and chirps.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 11, 2024
The Hollywood Reporter characterized the portrayal as “a creepy beady-eyed lech peering out from under a mountain of latex.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2023
It was an unlucky dinosaur that came face-to-face with the beady-eyed glare and giant, toothy grimace of the iconic Tyrannosaurus rex.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 11, 2022
“Maybe it’s an entire elephant,” jested a beady-eyed, one-armed man in tattered pants and without a shirt, referring to our package.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
