rose-colored glasses

American

noun

a cheerful or optimistic view of things, usually without valid basis.

He saw life through rose-colored glasses.

Etymology

Origin of rose-colored glasses

First recorded in 1860–65

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.

With a bearish call on Nvidia’s stock and a neutral view of Advanced Micro Devices’ stock, Seaport Research’s Jay Goldberg is by no means looking at the artificial-intelligence trade with rose-colored glasses.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 18, 2025

By that time, my rose-colored glasses and NPR-fueled sense of my own superior powers of understanding had already taken a severe beating.

From Slate • Apr. 16, 2024

I don’t have blinders or rose-colored glasses on when it comes to the state of America and how race shapes the way people see the world.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2023

Another way you can think about that is having slightly rose-colored glasses for the self, world and future.

From Salon • Sep. 8, 2023

"That always happens when someone dies. People put on rose-colored glasses and talk about the good times."

From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon

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