as in romantic
having or marked by a tendency to be guided more by ideals than by reality
the starry-eyed notion that international sports competitions actually help foster global harmony
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of starry-eyed
This ancient practice has been a source of guidance and meaning for people from all walks of life, not just mystics and starry-eyed romantics.
—
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Even so, the journey from starry-eyed spectator to industry mainstay was anything but a straight line for the actress.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
As a result, his vocals have a kind of stately yet starry-eyed quality, giving structure to these deformed, cosmic beats from the internet abyss.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Sep. 2025
Dimoo, a starry-eyed character imagined by Chinese artist Ayan Deng and turned into figurines by China’s Pop Mart, will be sporting the Swiss jeweler and watchmaker’s Ice Cube designs in limited-edition versions released exclusively in China.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Even so, the journey from starry-eyed spectator to industry mainstay was anything but a straight line for the actress.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
As a result, his vocals have a kind of stately yet starry-eyed quality, giving structure to these deformed, cosmic beats from the internet abyss.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Sep. 2025
Dimoo, a starry-eyed character imagined by Chinese artist Ayan Deng and turned into figurines by China’s Pop Mart, will be sporting the Swiss jeweler and watchmaker’s Ice Cube designs in limited-edition versions released exclusively in China.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for starry-eyed
Adjective
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Indian actor Ahaan Panday makes his debut with the Bollywood film Saiyaara which was hailed as the unofficial third film in Mohit Suri’s hit romantic franchise Aashiqui.—
Sweta Kaushal,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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Text messages to his romantic partner, a transgender male roommate, allegedly include a confession and instructions to delete their exchange.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Jars of thick honey can feel messy or impractical for travel.—
Footwear News,
Footwear News,
12 Sep. 2025
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As hotels compete for increasingly discerning customers, designs perceived as impractical or uncomfortable can quickly backfire in the age of viral social media.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Harold remembers arriving at Shepherd as an idealistic young man, ready to shape developing minds and make grand intellectual contributions.—
Jeremy Gordon,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Lellouche stars as unlikely hero Zem, a disillusioned Zone 3 cop with an idealistic militant past, who is teamed with haughty, high-flying Zone 2 officer Salia, played by Adèle Exarchopoulos, after a leading politician is assassinated in Zone 1.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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What was clear is that Uniqlo conceives of itself as a distribution system for utopian values, replete with mantras and koans, as much as a clothing company.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
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Lee and her brother William would preach far and wide to attract people to their cause (a necessity, given the lifetime celibacy requirement) and their pursuit of a utopian society free of any and all sin.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Wish-casting a better result for a confrontation in a different place, Vindman suppresses how much and how often America antagonized Russia through its idealist actions, rather than realist inaction.—
Samuel Moyn,
Harpers Magazine,
16 July 2025
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This, in turn, becomes logically reliant on the idealist paradigm of Consciousness as the fundamental lowest common denominator of reality.—
Carlo Tortora Brayda,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Starry-eyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/starry-eyed. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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