dewy-eyed

adj

"dewy-eyed" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dewy-eyed” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having eyes with a moist, glistening appearance, especially as indicating that one is on the verge of crying or that one is experiencing strong emotions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dewy-eyed · dewy-eyed · English

dewy-eyed · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for dewy-eyed
PropertyValue
Headworddewy-eyed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dewy-eyed” in English

dewy-eyedfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dewy-eyed is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for dewy-eyed, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From dewy + eyed. The correct English form is dewy-eyed, spelled D-E-W-Y---E-Y-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having eyes with a moist, glistening appearance, especially as indicating that one is on the verge of crying or that one is experiencing strong emotions.
  2. 2
    Naive or innocent in the manner of a child.
  3. 3
    Excessively nostalgic.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how dewy-eyed appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. One she saw clearly—a dewy-eyed, lovely woman who murmured loving, broken words.
  2. Bill Clinton has never shied away from displays of dewy-eyed, lip-biting sentimentality.

Etymology

From dewy + eyed.

Synonyms

teary-eyedmisty-eyedcallowgreenwet behind the ears

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dewy-eyed"?
"dewy-eyed" is spelled D-E-W-Y---E-Y-E-D.
What does "dewy-eyed" mean?
As an adjective, "dewy-eyed" means: Having eyes with a moist, glistening appearance, especially as indicating that one is on the verge of crying or that one is experiencing strong emotions.
What is the origin of the word "dewy-eyed"?
From dewy + eyed. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list