Meaning & use
heavy-lidded
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
having eyelids that are partly closed, especially because of tiredness or a relaxed, dreamy mood
Grammar: Used before a noun: heavy-lidded eyes. It is not usually used after a verb like 'be'.
Patterns
- heavy-lidded eyes
- heavy-lidded gaze
- heavy-lidded look
She gave him a heavy-lidded smile and said she was ready for bed.
His heavy-lidded eyes showed how little sleep he had gotten.
The model posed with a heavy-lidded expression for the camera.
Common combinations
- heavy-lidded eyes
- Her heavy-lidded eyes made her look as if she had just woken up.
- heavy-lidded gaze
- He fixed her with a heavy-lidded gaze that made her uncomfortable.
- heavy-lidded with sleep
- The children came to breakfast heavy-lidded with sleep.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sleepy
- Sleepy describes the feeling of needing sleep, while heavy-lidded describes the physical look of the eyes.
- drowsy
- Drowsy means almost asleep, but it does not necessarily describe the eyes; heavy-lidded focuses on the appearance of the eyelids.
Opposites
Commonly confused: heavy-lidded or heavy-laden?
heavy-lidded vs heavy-laden
Heavy-laden means carrying a heavy load, while heavy-lidded is only about the eyes.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'heavy-lidded' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Heavy-lidded describes eyes that look sleepy, so 'heavy-lidded eyes' is correct. It is not used after 'be' to describe a person, and it does not describe books or rain.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “heavy-lidded”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.