wild-eyed

wild-eyed — adjective

1. describes a person or animal whose eyes show that they are experiencing a very s

1.形容詞B2
釋義

describes a person or animal whose eyes show that they are experiencing a very strong feeling such as fear, anger, panic, or mental distress

例句

A wild-eyed man ran through the market, shouting that armed men were approaching.

describes a person in a moment of panic

The nurse noticed a wild-eyed look on the patient's face before he tried to escape.

used before nouns: wild-eyed + look

同義詞
  • frantic

    focuses on panicked, hurried behaviour rather than just the expression in the eyes

  • crazed

    stronger, suggests a loss of sanity; more intense than wild-eyed

  • terrified

    specifically fear-based; describes the emotion rather than the appearance

  • wild-looking

    very similar but describes overall appearance, not just the eyes

反義詞
  • calm

    opposite of showing intense emotion

  • composed

    suggests self-control, the opposite of uncontrolled expression

  • serene

    peaceful and untroubled, the furthest from wild-eyed

文法句型

wild-eyed + noun

be + wild-eyed

用法筆記

Frequently used in narrative or descriptive writing to signal a moment of crisis. The compound adjective can appear both before a noun (attributive) and after a linking verb like 'looked' or 'seemed'.

常見錯誤

❌He looked wild-eyed when he saw the ice cream flavour he wanted.
✅He looked wild-eyed when he saw the armed robber draw a gun.
💡wild-eyed describes a reaction to genuine fear or crisis, not ordinary excitement or preference.

2. describes plans, ideas, or beliefs that are so unrealistic or extreme that they

2.形容詞C1
釋義

describes plans, ideas, or beliefs that are so unrealistic or extreme that they seem foolish and have little chance of success

例句

The committee rejected his wild-eyed proposal to build a bridge across the Atlantic Ocean.

collocation: wild-eyed + proposal

Only a wild-eyed optimist would believe the company could triple its sales in a month.

collocation: wild-eyed + optimist/dreamer

同義詞
  • unrealistic

    more neutral and common; wild-eyed adds a judgement of foolishness

  • impractical

    focuses on lack of practical feasibility rather than extremeness

  • fanciful

    suggests imagination rather than serious intent; milder than wild-eyed

  • extreme

    emphasises going too far; less judgemental about practicality

反義詞
  • realistic

    grounded in practical reality

  • practical

    workable and achievable

  • sensible

    shows good judgment, the opposite of foolish extremeness

文法句型

wild-eyed + noun (plan, idea, scheme, promise)

用法筆記

Almost always appears before a noun that names a plan, proposal, or idea. It is not used to describe people directly in this sense — a person is called a 'wild-eyed optimist' or 'wild-eyed dreamer', never just 'wild-eyed' on its own with this meaning.

常見錯誤

❌She had a wild-eyed idea about what to eat for dinner.
✅She had a wild-eyed idea about colonizing Mars within two years.
💡this sense requires truly extreme, unrealistic ideas, not just unusual everyday preferences.