beady

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noundisapproving

   Small, round and shiny, like a bead, and often seeming to watch closely, usually of eyes.

   Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: beady eyes.

   Patterns

   • beady eyes

   The magpie watched us with beady eyes.

   A beady stare from the shopkeeper followed us around the store.

   The rat peered out, its beady eyes glinting in the torchlight.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nouninformalfigurative

   Alert and watching carefully, often with suspicion or a wish to spot any mistake.

   Grammar: Also before a noun: a beady glare, a beady eye.

   Patterns

   • keep a beady eye on someone or something

   The teacher kept a beady eye on the back row.

   Our beady-eyed neighbor notices every car that comes down the street.

   Auditors with beady eyes checked each receipt.

Word forms

Common combinations

beady eyes

The crow had beady eyes.

keep a beady eye on

I'll keep a beady eye on the pot.

beady stare

Her beady stare made me nervous.

beady little eyes

The mouse looked up with beady little eyes.

beady-eyed

A beady-eyed guard checked the passes.

Synonyms and how they differ

glinting

Glinting is a neutral description of a shine and does not suggest small size or suspicion as beady does.

sharp

Sharp describes keen attention but does not suggest the small, round shape of beady.

shifty

Shifty suggests dishonesty in the way someone looks, which is harsher than beady.

watchful

Watchful is kinder and more formal, simply meaning alert, without hinting at suspicion.

Opposites

Word family

bead noun

a small round piece of glass or wood

beadiness noun

the quality of being beady

beady-eyed adjective

having small bright eyes or a sharp stare

beaded adjective

decorated with beads

Commonly confused: beady or bleary?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “beady”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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