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dewy-eyed

dewy-eyed

1 7.4
Having a gentle, innocent trust in people or ideas
  • adjective
  • /ˈduːi aɪd/
  • Informal
translation icon : inocente
  • There will be a dewy-eyed fourteen-year-old girl in the house where he finds shelter.

Examples

  • The cops on duty listen raptly, getting maudlin and dewy-eyed.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • A dewy-eyed young lovely, wearing a snow bunny fur, a tiara, and a banner streamed across her chest that reads ICE PRINCESS, continues into her mic.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The dewy-eyed little milkmaid got a little too close.

  • Is this Obama addressing a group of dewy-eyed freshmen in Colorado?

    Blog text (28)
  • He realized he was reacting like a dewy-eyed schoolboy caught by his girl-loathing pals.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The town's population stands—the men, stoic; the women, dewy-eyed, at patriotic attention.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • She watched the movie with a dewy-eyed innocence that reminded me of childhood.

  • The little boy had a dewy-eyed look as he dreamt of adventures and magic.

  • Listening to the old song made her feel dewy-eyed and nostalgic for simpler times.

Synonyms

naive
vsdewy-eyed
312 4.1

Not experienced and too ready to trust others

is more about gentle idealism and emotional innocence than simple ignorance
simple
vsdewy-eyed
44 7.7

Having childlike trust and little experience of life

emphasizes gentle feeling and idealism rather than mere unsophistication
childlike
vsdewy-eyed
36 3.7

Being innocent, trusting, and simple like a child

focuses more on gentle idealism and emotional innocence than plain trust
wide-eyed
vsdewy-eyed
27 3.4

A person who has eyes open wide because they feel surprised or full of wonder

focuses on gentle emotion and idealism rather than visible surprise
round-eyed
vsdewy-eyed
1 4.8

Having large, open eyes that show surprise or childlike wonder

expresses inner gentle idealism and emotional softness rather than just a look

Antonyms

208 6.5

Not trusting people to have good intentions and expecting them to act for themselves

40 6.3

Feeling bored and tired after doing or seeing something too often

1 7.4

Experienced and careful about the practical side of life

How Naive

gullible
65 4.2
naive
312 4.1
dewy-eyed
  • Informal
1 7.4
innocent
225 2.9
cynical
208 6.5
worldly
28 5.8

Surface Forms

dewy-eyed positive

Morphology

dewy-eyed = dewy + eye (semi-transparent) = dewy + eye

The literal combination 'having dewy eyes' is clear, but the common figurative meaning 'innocent/naive' is metaphorical and not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Dewy-eyed comes from dew ('small drops of water on plants in the morning') and eyed ('having eyes'), so it paints a picture of eyes that look fresh and a little wet like morning dew. That's why someone described as dewy-eyed seems 'innocent', 'naive', or gently 'emotional'.