eyed

eyed — adjective

  • eyedpositive
  • eyeddercomparative
  • eyeddestsuperlative

1. used together with an adjective or noun before it to form a compound that descri

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

used together with an adjective or noun before it to form a compound that describes what someone's eyes look like or how they use them. A blue-eyed person has blue eyes; a sharp-eyed guard notices small details quickly.

Example

Gabriela adopted a one-eyed cat from the animal shelter.

compound: one-eyed

The wide-eyed children stared at the magician in amazement.

compound: wide-eyed

Common collocations
  • blue-eyed
  • brown-eyed
  • green-eyed
  • dark-eyed
  • wide-eyed
  • bright-eyed
  • sharp-eyed
  • eagle-eyed
  • one-eyed
  • clear-eyed
Synonyms
  • sharp-eyed

    specifically means very observant; narrower than the general combining form

  • eagle-eyed

    more informal and vivid than 'sharp-eyed', suggests seeing everything

  • wide-eyed

    focuses on the expression (surprise or innocence), not a permanent feature

Grammar Patterns

adjective/noun + -eyed

Usage Note

This word is almost never used alone — it needs an adjective or noun directly before it to form a compound (e.g. 'green-eyed', 'bright-eyed'). The compound always describes a person or animal, not an object.

Common Mistakes

She is eyed.
She is blue-eyed.
'eyed' must be combined with a preceding word; it does not stand alone.
He eyed the room.' (using 'eyed' as a verb)
He is eagle-eyed.
The adjective 'eyed' is different from the past tense verb 'eyed' (meaning 'looked at').

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three words describe a person who notices things quickly, but they differ in intensity and tone. 'Sharp-eyed' is the most neutral — it simply means good at noticing details, like a sharp-eyed editor catching typos. 'Eagle-eyed' is more vivid and informal, comparing the person's vision to an eagle's; it suggests they miss nothing at all. 'Keen-eyed' is slightly more formal and literary, often used for someone whose perception goes beyond physical sight into understanding. For example, an eagle-eyed security guard spots everything on the monitors, while a keen-eyed detective understands the hidden meaning behind the clues.

sharp-eyedeagle-eyed ↗keen-eyed

Common collocations

Nouns

  • blue-eyed baby
  • wide-eyed child
  • sharp-eyed detective
  • eagle-eyed observer
  • one-eyed pirate
  • dark-eyed stranger
  • bright-eyed student
  • clear-eyed assessment

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed from the noun 'eye' (from Old English 'ēage', meaning the organ of sight) plus the suffix '-ed', which creates adjectives meaning 'having or characterized by'. This pattern has been used since the 1500s to describe people or animals by their eye type.