starry-eyed

American  

[stahr-ee-ahyd] / ˈstɑr iˌaɪd /

adjective

1. overly romantic or idealistic.

   He was a starry-eyed dreamer.

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starry-eyed British  

adjective

1. given to naive wishes, judgments, etc; full of unsophisticated optimism; gullible

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Etymology

Origin of starry-eyed

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

starry-eyed

One starry-eyed Minion, though, James, vows to mount a monster movie with real monsters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

When starry-eyed “Pretty in Pink” devotees think of Andie and Iona, we think of their looks, their personalities and their willingness to fight for themselves.

From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026

He is a situational bear, a situational bull and, almost despite himself, at age 87, a gruff, perpetual, starry-eyed idealist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

There was still plenty of starry-eyed enthusiasm for the handsome young mayor and the hope he represented.

From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2026

Born in Polish-Ukrainian Galicia, Rabi was the levelheaded physicist who had tartly denounced Strauss’s vendetta against Oppenheimer and had attempted, if fruitlessly, to talk Lawrence and Alvarez down from their starry-eyed pursuit of the Super.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik