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

But he does urge caution for "starry-eyed MBAs" who think they're immune from the risks of failure.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

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

From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2026

There was enough hope in everyday life to hold onto, and the starry-eyed vision of the future made the rapture’s fearmongering futile.

From Salon ● Dec. 21, 2025

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