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Synonyms

wide-eyed

American  
[wahyd-ahyd] / ˈwaɪdˌaɪd /

adjective

  1. with the eyes open wide, as in amazement, innocence, or sleeplessness.

wide-eyed British  

adjective

  1. innocent or credulous

"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 wide-eyed

First recorded in 1850–55

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.

They brought with them a family album that showed a picture-perfect life: Yuriy and Valiera's wedding, their trip to Rome, and of course, wide-eyed baby Kirochka.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

On the subject of AI replacing heretofore normal human activities, Mr. Amodei, born in 1983, writes with the wide-eyed wonder of a high-school-aged techno-utopian.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

Tartakovsky conveys all of Spear’s torment, loneliness and the magnitude of his love with zero dialogue, only a wide-eyed stare into the distance as he lumbers along, pulled by the memory of an unfinished life.

From Salon • Feb. 1, 2026

Andrew thought he would be celebrating Zoë's 39th birthday on 23 December, quickly followed by the glorious chaos of Christmas with family, friends and their boys' wide-eyed excited innocence.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025

“So, I have a proposal for you both,” I said, and then turned so that Fig’s wide-eyed stare bored into Dad.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

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.