beady

American  

[bee-dee] / ˈbi di /

adjective

beadier, beadiest

1. beadlike; small, globular, and glittering.

   beady eyes.

2. covered with or full of beads.

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beady British  

/ ˈbiːdɪ /

adjective

1. small, round, and glittering: used esp of eyes

2. resembling or covered with beads

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Other Word Forms

• beadily adverb
• beadiness noun

Etymology

Origin of beady

First recorded in 1820–30; bead + -y ¹

Explanation

Something that's beady is small and shiny, resembling a round bead. Your dog might stare at you with beady eyes whenever you eat peanut butter. Beady is almost always used to describe someone's eyes, especially if they're small, dark, and gleaming with some particular intent. A greedy person might appear to have beady eyes, and so might an intent listener in a college class. The word can also mean "decorated with beads," but this is much less common. At the heart of beady is bead, from bede, "prayer bead," by way of the Old English gebed, or "prayer."

Example Sentences

He was short and balding, with beady brown eyes, a friendly face and gracious manner.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 25, 2025

McConnell chafed at this and his beady little eyes bulged with contempt as he had to choke down the filth Trump spewed.

From Salon • Feb. 29, 2024

In their chickens, though — with close-set beady eyes and faces far more expressive than a real chicken’s stolid look could ever be — the studio located comic gold.

From New York Times • Dec. 14, 2023

Close-ups of its beady blue eyes are unsettling, though it was probably a good call to go blue over gold, which looks a bit demonic even in the cartoon.

From Washington Times • May 23, 2023

And this, apparently, was what Hesterfowl was inspecting, stopping every so often to peer with a beady eye into a tiny blue vortex.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman