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Meaning & use

dazzling eyes

phrase·Advanced

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UK/ˌdæzlɪŋ ˈaɪz/
US/ˌdæzlɪŋ ˈaɪz/

Meanings

  1. phraseplural

    Eyes that shine so brightly or look so beautiful that they hold your attention completely.

    Grammar: Always plural because eyes come in a pair; use a singular form only for one eye, as in 'her dazzling left eye'.

    Patterns

    • someone's dazzling eyes
    • have dazzling eyes
    • dazzling blue eyes

    She turned toward the camera, her dazzling eyes catching the last of the sunlight.

    He has his mother's dazzling eyes, the kind that make people stop mid-sentence.

    In the portrait, the child's dazzling eyes seem to follow you around the room.

  2. phrasepluralfigurativeliterary

    Used figuratively for eyes that show intense feeling such as joy, anger or excitement.

    Grammar: Often followed by 'with' plus an emotion: dazzling eyes with delight.

    Patterns

    • dazzling eyes with joy
    • dazzling eyes with anger

    She opened the letter with dazzling eyes, hardly able to believe the news.

    He stood there with dazzling eyes, furious and unable to speak.

Common combinations

dazzling blue eyes
The singer is famous for her dazzling blue eyes and wide smile.
a pair of dazzling eyes
Behind the mask, a pair of dazzling eyes gave her away.
dazzling eyes and a warm smile
He greeted every guest with dazzling eyes and a warm smile.
her dazzling eyes lit up
Her dazzling eyes lit up the moment she saw the cake.
fix someone with dazzling eyes
The teacher fixed the class with dazzling eyes and waited for silence.

Synonyms and how they differ

sparkling eyes
Sparkling suggests small points of light and a lively, cheerful look, while dazzling is stronger and suggests a brightness you almost cannot bear.
shining eyes
Shining is plainer and more neutral; dazzling adds the idea of being overwhelmingly bright or beautiful.
glittering eyes
Glittering often hints at coldness or greed, so it fits a hard, sharp look better than a warm one.
radiant eyes
Radiant stresses happiness that seems to glow from inside, whereas dazzling focuses on how striking the eyes look.

Opposites

dull eyeslifeless eyes

Word family

dazzle verb
to blind someone briefly with bright light, or to impress them greatly.
dazzling adjective
extremely bright, impressive or beautiful.
dazzlingly adverb
in a way that is extremely bright or impressive.
dazzlement noun
the state of being blinded or overwhelmed by bright light.

Commonly confused: dazzling eyes or dazzled eyes? dazzling eyes or gazing eyes?

dazzling eyes vs dazzled eyes

Dazzled describes eyes that are temporarily blinded by light, which is usually a problem; dazzling describes eyes that shine and impress people.

dazzling eyes vs gazing eyes

Gazing refers to the act of looking steadily at something, so 'gazing eyes' means eyes that are watching, not eyes that shine.

Practice

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