dewy-eyed

American

[doo-ee-ahyd, dyoo-] / ˈdu iˌaɪd, ˈdyu- /

adjective

romantically naive or credulous; sentimental, innocent, and trusting.

dewy-eyed, aspiring young actresses.

dewy-eyed British

adjective

naive, innocent, or trusting, esp in a romantic or childlike way

"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 dewy-eyed

First recorded in 1935–40

Vocabulary lists containing dewy-eyed

Naive

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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.

Led by the subject matter, he started singing more, his dewy-eyed timbre adding emotional depth to the fragmented, impressionistic soundscapes.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

It came to symbolize the rapacious gluttony of that era — and its rejection of the dewy-eyed idealism of the 1960s.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2020

When our protagonist, a dewy-eyed young man named Hughie, encounters the depravity of one such hero, he joins the Boys, a gang of misfits led by a mysterious man called Butcher.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 17, 2019

President Trump is no dewy-eyed debutante, but Sunday night marked his coming-out party.

From Washington Post • Jun. 4, 2017

He saw a dewy-eyed Battista owning himself Love's priest.

From Little Novels of Italy by Hewlett, Maurice Henry

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023