dewy-eyed

American

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

adjective

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

dewy-eyed, aspiring young actresses.

dewy-eyed British

adjective

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

"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 dewy-eyed

First recorded in 1935–40

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.

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

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

Innovative ex-Cleveland GM David Griffin is an obvious choice, but there are many others who wouldn’t be bound by the unrealistic expectations and dewy-eyed attachments created by the Lakers’ many trophies.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 10, 2019

Neither I nor anybody I noticed around me are part of the "dewy-eyed demographic" Mr. Brantley sneers at, but nobody seemed to find watching it a chore.

From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2017

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

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