Synonyms of wide-eyednext
1
: having or marked by unsophisticated or uncritical acceptance or admiration : naive
wide-eyed innocence
2
: having the eyes wide open especially with wonder or astonishment

Examples of wide-eyed in a Sentence

a wide-eyed and trusting child the sort of phony UFO "artifacts" that wide-eyed tourists fall for
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Schneider watches the games from the owner’s suite, and when things go wrong, Allen turns to him with wide-eyed disbelief that speaks the universal language of a passionate fan. Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026 Academy Award nominee Stephanie Hsu will star as Janet, the wide-eyed ingénue famously portrayed on screen by Susan Sarandon. Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026 Rocklin High coach Steve Taylor inserted the then-6-foot-4 Lavrenov into the Thunder’s varsity lineup as a wide-eyed freshman in the fall of 2021. Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026 Some jokes take aim at the state’s power grid, including one image of a wide-eyed chihuahua appearing to have a flashback to the Vietnam War. Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 23 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wide-eyed

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wide-eyed was in 1789

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Cite this Entry

“Wide-eyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wide-eyed. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

wide-eyed

adjective
ˈwīd-ˈīd
1
: having the eyes wide open especially with wonder or astonishment
2

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