Have you ever seen someone with their eyes opened wide because they were shocked, surprised, amazed, or frightened? If so, you may have noticed a wide eyed expression. While Wide Eyed Meaning seems easy to understand, the phrase can describe different emotions depending on the context, situation, and facial expression.
Wide eyed is an adjective used to describe someone whose eyes are opened unusually wide, often because they are surprised, amazed, frightened, or very interested in something.
Examples:
- She looked wide eyed when she saw the surprise.
- The child watched the magician with a wide eyed expression.
The confusion is understandable. People often search for what does wide eyed mean, wide eyed meaning in text, wide eyed meaning in chat, or what does it mean when someone is wide eyed because the phrase can carry different emotional meanings. And here’s the kicker: the same wide eyed expression can show either wonder and excitement or fear and shock, depending on what is happening.
In this guide, you’ll learn the complete Wide Eyed Meaning, its definition, pronunciation, correct usage, and examples in sentences. You’ll also discover wide eyed meaning in texting, how the phrase is used to describe emotions and personality, and the difference between wide eyed, wide eyed wonder, and similar expressions.
What Does Wide Eyed Mean?
Wide eyed is an adjective that has two closely related meanings.
First, it describes someone whose eyes are open wider than normal, usually because of a strong emotion. Surprise, fear, excitement, happiness, wonder, and amazement can all produce this reaction.
Second, wide eyed can describe someone who lacks experience and therefore tends to believe, trust, or admire things too easily. Oxford gives naive as a synonym for this figurative sense.
Wide Eyed Meaning in Simple Words
In simple English, wide eyed can mean:
- Having your eyes open much wider than usual
- Showing surprise or amazement
- Showing fear or wonder
- Innocent or inexperienced
- Very trusting
- Easily impressed or amazed
The exact meaning depends on the context.
| Meaning | What it describes | Example |
| Physical | Eyes that are unusually open | She looked wide eyed when she saw the enormous cake. |
| Emotional | A visible reaction to surprise, fear, or wonder | He stood wide eyed as the plane landed nearby. |
| Figurative | Someone inexperienced or naive | The wide eyed intern trusted every promise. |
That’s an important distinction. Wide eyed doesn’t always mean surprised, and it doesn’t always mean naive.
Wide Eyed Definition
Major English dictionaries agree on the core meaning while emphasizing slightly different aspects.
Cambridge defines wide eyed as having your eyes open much wider than usual. It also gives a figurative sense involving someone who is too willing to believe and admire what they see or are told.
Oxford similarly defines the literal sense as having your eyes fully open because of emotions such as fear or surprise. Its second sense describes someone with little experience who is therefore willing to believe, trust, or accept something.
Merriam Webster also separates the word into two senses: naive or uncritical acceptance or admiration, and having the eyes wide open because of wonder or astonishment.
So, a practical wide eyed definition looks like this:
Wide eyed describes someone whose eyes are unusually open because of a strong emotion, or someone who is innocent, inexperienced, and easily impressed or trusting.
What Does Wide Eyed Mean When Describing Someone?
When you call someone wide eyed, you may be describing what you can see on their face. However, you may also be commenting on how that person approaches the world.
Context does the heavy lifting.
Wide Eyed as a Physical Expression
Imagine a child seeing snow for the first time. Their eyebrows rise. Their eyes open wide. They stare without saying a word.
You could say:
The child stood wide eyed in the doorway.
The expression tells the reader something without directly saying, The child was extremely surprised.
This is one reason wide eyed works so well in descriptive writing. It gives the reader a visual image.
The expression commonly accompanies emotions such as:
- Surprise
- Wonder
- Amazement
- Fear
- Happiness
- Excitement
- Shock
- Curiosity
- Fascination
Cambridge’s learner dictionary specifically gives the emotional possibilities of surprise, fear, and happiness, while Oxford highlights fear and surprise.
Wide Eyed as a Personality Trait
The figurative meaning is different.
A wide eyed person may have little experience with the world and therefore believe or admire things without much skepticism.
For example:
The wide eyed traveler believed every exaggerated story about the city.
The person doesn’t necessarily have physically open eyes. Instead, the phrase suggests innocence, enthusiasm, or naivety.
Merriam Webster lists related terms including naive, innocent, inexperienced, simple, uncritical, unsuspecting, and unsophisticated.
That figurative meaning can sound affectionate, neutral, or critical depending on the sentence.
Wide Eyed Meaning in Different Contexts
The same expression can carry different emotional shades. That’s why context matters so much.
Wide Eyed With Surprise
Wide eyed with surprise describes someone whose eyes become noticeably open because something unexpected happened.
She was wide eyed with surprise when everyone shouted, “Happy birthday!”
The phrase works because the person’s facial expression reveals the emotion.
Wide Eyed With Wonder
Wide eyed with wonder usually has a positive or admiring tone.
The children watched the fireworks wide eyed with wonder.
Here, the children aren’t frightened. They’re fascinated by something beautiful or unusual.
This combination appears frequently in descriptive English because it connects a visible expression with a strong sense of amazement.
Wide Eyed With Fear
A person can also become wide eyed with fear.
He stood wide eyed with fear when he heard footsteps behind him.
The eyes communicate alarm. The phrase therefore creates a stronger image than simply saying he was afraid.
Wide Eyed With Amazement
Wide eyed with amazement emphasizes an intense reaction to something remarkable.
She stared wide eyed with amazement at the enormous waterfall.
Oxford uses the closely related expression wide eyed amazement in its example sentence.
Wide Eyed and Innocent
In the figurative sense, wide eyed and innocent describes someone who appears trusting or inexperienced.
The wide eyed newcomer had no idea how competitive the industry could be.
Here, the expression tells us something about the person’s outlook rather than simply their facial expression.
Wide Eyed Examples
Seeing the word in different situations makes its meaning much clearer.
- She looked wide eyed when she opened the unexpected gift.
- The audience sat wide eyed as the performer pulled a rabbit from the hat.
- He stared wide eyed at the damage after the storm.
- The students were wide eyed when their teacher announced the surprise trip.
- I was wide eyed when I saw how large the building was.
Examples Showing Wonder or Amazement
- The children gazed wide eyed at the stars.
- She walked through the museum wide eyed with wonder.
- The tourists stood wide eyed before the ancient monument.
- He watched the rocket launch with wide eyed amazement.
- The little girl remained wide eyed throughout the magic show.
- The dog looked wide eyed when the thunder suddenly shook the house.
- He stood wide eyed after hearing the strange noise.
- The child watched the storm wide eyed from the window.
- She stared wide eyed as the car narrowly missed the barrier.
- The wide eyed teenager believed the exaggerated story immediately.
- As a wide eyed newcomer, he expected everyone to play fair.
- The wide eyed intern admired the company’s executives without questioning their decisions.
- She arrived in the city as a wide eyed young traveler.
- His wide eyed optimism made him eager to trust people he barely knew.
Notice the difference. In the first groups, wide eyed describes a visible reaction. In the last group, it describes a person’s attitude or lack of experience.
How to Use Wide Eyed in a Sentence
You can use wide eyed in several natural sentence patterns.
“Wide Eyed” Before a Noun
When the adjective comes directly before a noun, the hyphenated form is standard:
- a wide eyed child
- a wide eyed newcomer
- a wide eyed expression
- a wide eyed traveler
- a wide eyed audience
For example:
A wide eyed child watched the magician perform.
The adjective directly modifies child.
“Be” + Wide Eyed
You can also use it after a linking verb:
She was wide eyed with surprise.
The audience was wide eyed throughout the performance.
This structure focuses on the person’s state or appearance.
“Look” or “Stare” + Wide Eyed
The expression often follows a verb that describes looking:
He stared wide eyed at the screen.
She looked wide eyed when the results appeared.
The children watched wide eyed as the parade passed.
This construction is especially useful in storytelling because it combines the action of looking with the visual reaction.
“Wide Eyed With” + Emotion
Another useful structure is:
wide eyed + with + emotion
Examples include:
- wide eyed with surprise
- wide eyed with wonder
- wide eyed with fear
- wide eyed with amazement
- wide eyed with excitement
This construction makes the emotional meaning especially clear.
Wide Eyed vs. Wide Eyed With Wonder
These expressions overlap, but they aren’t identical.
Wide eyed is broader. It can indicate surprise, fear, amazement, curiosity, or another strong reaction.
Wide eyed with wonder gives you more information. It specifically says the person feels wonder or admiration.
Compare:
The children were wide eyed.
We know something affected them, but we don’t know exactly what they felt.
Now:
The children were wide eyed with wonder.
The emotional meaning becomes much clearer.
The second sentence paints a more specific picture.
Wide Eyed vs. Surprised
Wide eyed and surprised often appear in the same situations, but they aren’t interchangeable.
| Wide eyed | Surprised |
| Often describes visible appearance | Describes an emotional reaction |
| Suggests unusually open eyes | Doesn’t necessarily involve a facial expression |
| Can indicate wonder, fear, or amazement | Usually relates to something unexpected |
| Can have a figurative meaning | Usually doesn’t mean inexperienced |
| Creates a stronger visual image | Gives a more direct emotional description |
For example:
She was surprised by the announcement.
This tells you how she felt.
She stared wide eyed at the announcement.
This gives you a picture of how she reacted.
You can even combine them:
She stared wide eyed, clearly surprised by the announcement.
That’s often effective in narrative writing because it provides both the visual reaction and the emotion.
Wide Eyed vs. Naive
The figurative wide eyed meaning comes close to naive, but the words aren’t perfect synonyms.
Naive directly emphasizes a lack of experience, judgment, or worldly knowledge.
Wide eyed can suggest the same thing while adding a sense of innocence, enthusiasm, wonder, or admiration.
Consider these examples:
He was naive about the business world.
This sounds straightforward and somewhat critical.
He was wide eyed about the business world.
This can suggest that he was inexperienced but also excited and optimistic.
The emotional flavor changes.
Merriam Webster’s thesaurus lists naive, innocent, inexperienced, unsuspecting, unworldly, trusting, idealistic, and credulous among related terms.
A Simple Way to Remember the Difference
Think of it this way:
Naive = lacking experience or judgment.
Wide eyed = lacking experience and approaching something with innocence, trust, wonder, or admiration.
That isn’t an absolute rule for every sentence, but it’s a useful guide.
Synonyms for Wide Eyed
The best synonym depends on which meaning you want.
Synonyms for the Emotional Sense
When wide eyed describes a visible reaction, possible alternatives include:
- Amazed
- Astonished
- Surprised
- Stunned
- Startled
- Awestruck
- Fascinated
- Wonderstruck
These words don’t all mean exactly the same thing.
For instance, startled emphasizes a sudden reaction. Awestruck emphasizes wonder or admiration. Stunned can suggest shock.
Synonyms for the Figurative Sense
When wide eyed describes an inexperienced or trusting person, alternatives include:
- Naive
- Innocent
- Inexperienced
- Trusting
- Unsophisticated
- Unworldly
- Unsuspecting
- Credulous
- Idealistic
- Uncritical
Merriam Webster’s current thesaurus specifically includes many of these terms among its related words for wide eyed.
Which Synonym Should You Choose?
| If you mean… | Better choice |
| Strong surprise | Astonished |
| Sudden shock | Startled |
| Wonder and admiration | Awestruck |
| Lack of experience | Inexperienced |
| Too much trust | Credulous |
| Innocence | Innocent |
| Lack of worldly knowledge | Naive |
| Strong admiration | Amazed |
This matters because replacing wide eyed with a random synonym can subtly change the sentence.
Antonyms of Wide Eyed
There isn’t one universal opposite because wide eyed has more than one meaning.
- Unimpressed
- Unconcerned
- Indifferent
- Calm
- Unfazed
- Unsurprised
- Experienced
- Sophisticated
- Worldly
- Skeptical
- Cynical
- Discerning
- Wary
For example:
The wide eyed newcomer trusted the claim.
An opposite might be:
The experienced manager questioned the claim.
The contrast isn’t simply about facial expression. It’s about how the person responds to information.
Is Wide Eyed Positive or Negative?
Wide eyed can be positive, negative, or neutral. Context decides.
Positive Uses of Wide Eyed
The expression can suggest:
- Wonder
- Curiosity
- Joy
- Excitement
- Innocence
- Enthusiasm
- Admiration
- Openness
For example:
The young visitors were wide eyed with wonder as they entered the aquarium.
That’s clearly positive.
Negative Uses of Wide Eyed
The expression can also suggest:
- Naivety
- Gullibility
- Excessive trust
- Lack of experience
- Uncritical admiration
- Poor judgment
For example:
The wide eyed investor believed every promise in the sales pitch.
Here, the phrase hints that the investor lacks skepticism.
Neutral Uses
Sometimes it simply describes a physical reaction:
He stood wide eyed after the unexpected announcement.
The sentence doesn’t tell us whether his reaction was positive or negative.
So don’t assume that wide eyed always means innocent or always means amazed. The surrounding words tell you what the writer intends.
Is Wide Eyed Hyphenated?
Yes. Wide eyed is normally written as wide eyed with a hyphen when it functions as a compound adjective, especially before a noun.
Dictionary entries from Cambridge, Oxford, and Merriam Webster all present the term as wide eyed with a hyphen.
However, English sentence structure can affect how the phrase appears.
Compare:
| Construction | Example |
| Before a noun | a wide eyed child |
| After a linking verb | The child was wide eyed. |
| After a looking verb | She stared wide eyed at him. |
| With an emotion | He was wide eyed with wonder. |
The key point is simple: wide eyed functions as a compound adjective, so the hyphen helps readers understand that wide and eyed work together.
Wide Eyed Pronunciation
The pronunciation of wide eyed is:
/ˌwaɪdˈaɪd/
It sounds roughly like:
wide eyed
The stress falls primarily on eyed in the dictionary pronunciation. Cambridge and Oxford both give essentially the same pronunciation.
Because the expression combines the familiar words wide and eyed, pronunciation usually isn’t difficult for English learners.
Try saying it naturally rather than pausing heavily between the two words:
wide eyed
Wide Eyed Word Origin
The expression is a straightforward compound formed from wide + eyed.
The adjective wide has very old Germanic roots. Merriam Webster traces wide to Middle English and Old English wīd.
The compound wide eyed, however, has a much later documented history. Merriam Webster gives 1789 as its first known use and identifies the earliest recorded sense with its figurative meaning of naive or unsophisticated acceptance.
That history is useful because it shows that the modern expression isn’t a recent internet invention. English speakers have used wide eyed for centuries.
Common Phrases With Wide Eyed
Certain combinations appear naturally in English.
Wide Eyed Wonder
Wide eyed wonder describes strong amazement or fascination.
The children explored the science museum in wide eyed wonder.
Wide Eyed Amazement
This phrase emphasizes astonishment.
She watched the performance in wide eyed amazement.
Oxford itself uses the closely related phrase wide eyed amazement.
Wide Eyed Innocence
This expression focuses on innocence or a lack of worldly experience.
His wide eyed innocence made him easy to persuade.
Wide Eyed Curiosity
This combination emphasizes eager interest.
The wide eyed curiosity of the students made the lesson more enjoyable.
Wide Eyed Expression
This usually refers to a visible facial reaction.
A wide eyed expression spread across her face.
Wide Eyed Stare
This emphasizes both the eyes and the act of looking.
He gave the strange machine a wide eyed stare.
Wide Eyed Excitement
This suggests enthusiasm and anticipation.
The children waited with wide eyed excitement for the show to begin.
Wide Eyed in Everyday Conversation
Although wide eyed can sound descriptive or literary, people also use it naturally in everyday English.
Consider this conversation:
A: “What did she do when she saw the surprise?”
B: “She just stood there wide eyed.”
The second speaker doesn’t need to explain every emotion. The phrase creates an immediate picture.
Another example:
A: “Did the kids enjoy the fireworks?”
B: “Absolutely. They were wide eyed the entire time.”
That’s casual, natural usage.
You can also use the figurative sense:
A: “What was he like when he started his first job?”
B: “Pretty wide eyed. He believed everything management told him.”
Here, the phrase means inexperienced and trusting, not literally someone with unusually open eyes.
Wide Eyed in Literature and Descriptive Writing
Writers often choose wide eyed because it communicates emotion visually.
Instead of:
The boy was very surprised.
A writer might say:
The boy stood wide eyed at the edge of the stage.
The second sentence gives the reader something to picture.
That visual quality makes the expression useful for:
- Character descriptions
- Fiction
- Travel writing
- Personal essays
- News features
- Reviews
- Storytelling
- Descriptions of children
- Descriptions of first experiences
It can also reveal character without directly explaining the character’s emotions.
Why the Expression Works
The human face often communicates emotion before a person says anything.
When someone’s eyes become unusually open, readers naturally associate that visual cue with surprise, fear, wonder, or intense attention. Wide eyed turns that familiar physical reaction into a compact descriptive phrase.
That’s why:
She was surprised.
and
She stared wide eyed at the screen.
don’t feel quite the same.
The first tells you the emotion. The second shows you the reaction.
Case Study: How Context Changes the Wide Eyed Meaning
Consider three sentences about the same person.
Example One: Wonder
Maya stood wide eyed beneath the night sky.
The setting suggests wonder or amazement.
Example Two: Fear
Maya stood wide eyed when the lights suddenly went out.
Now the same expression suggests fear.
Example Three: Inexperience
Maya was a wide eyed newcomer who believed every claim she heard.
Now the phrase describes her outlook.
The words wide eyed remain the same, but the context changes the meaning.
This is a useful lesson for English learners: don’t translate an adjective in isolation. Read the whole sentence.
Common Mistakes When Using Wide Eyed
Mistake: Assuming Wide Eyed Only Means Surprised
Surprise is common, but it isn’t the whole definition.
The word can also communicate fear, wonder, amazement, happiness, innocence, or inexperience. Cambridge and Oxford both recognize more than one sense.
Mistake: Assuming Wide Eyed Always Means Naive
It doesn’t.
The audience stared wide eyed at the explosion of fireworks.
Nobody is necessarily naive. They’re simply amazed.
Mistake: Using Naive and Wide Eyed as Perfect Synonyms
The words overlap, but their tone differs.
Naive focuses more directly on a lack of experience or judgment.
Wide eyed can add a sense of innocence, optimism, admiration, or wonder.
Mistake: Ignoring Context
Compare:
She watched the magician wide eyed with wonder.
with:
She accepted his ridiculous explanation wide eyed.
The first suggests amazement. The second may suggest gullibility.
Mistake: Forgetting the Hyphen
When the phrase acts as a compound adjective, use wide eyed with the hyphen:
a wide eyed child
This is the standard dictionary form.
Wide Eyed Meaning: Quick Reference Table
| Feature | Answer |
| Word | Wide eyed |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Pronunciation | /ˌwaɪdˈaɪd/ |
| Literal meaning | Having the eyes open much wider than usual |
| Common emotions | Surprise, fear, wonder, happiness, amazement |
| Figurative meaning | Innocent, inexperienced, trusting, or naive |
| Common synonyms | Amazed, astonished, innocent, naive, inexperienced |
| Common phrases | Wide eyed wonder, wide eyed amazement, wide eyed innocence |
| Hyphenation | Wide eyed |
| First known use | 1789, according to Merriam Webster |
| Main usage | Describing an expression or an inexperienced outlook |
The pronunciation, two major meanings, and first known use are documented by Cambridge, Oxford, and Merriam Webster.
Wide Eyed Meaning in Different Emotional Situations
A useful way to understand the expression is to place different emotions beside it.
| Phrase | Likely meaning |
| Wide eyed with wonder | Amazed and fascinated |
| Wide eyed with surprise | Shocked or unexpectedly impressed |
| Wide eyed with fear | Frightened or alarmed |
| Wide eyed with amazement | Extremely impressed |
| Wide eyed with excitement | Eager and enthusiastic |
| Wide eyed innocence | Naive or inexperienced |
| Wide eyed admiration | Strong, often uncritical admiration |
| Wide eyed curiosity | Very eager to discover or understand something |
This is one reason wide eyed is more flexible than a simple synonym such as surprised.
Why Wide Eyed Can Sound Positive or Negative
The figurative sense has an interesting edge.
Calling someone wide eyed can be affectionate:
The wide eyed young artist was excited to see her work displayed in a gallery.
It can also sound slightly critical:
The wide eyed newcomer believed that success would come overnight.
In the first sentence, the person’s innocence feels charming.
In the second, the same innocence looks unrealistic.
The word therefore sits in an interesting middle ground. It can praise someone’s openness while also hinting that they don’t know enough to be skeptical.
That subtlety makes it useful in descriptive writing.
Wide Eyed vs. Wide Eyes
These two forms look almost identical, but they serve different grammatical roles.
Wide Eyes
Wide eyes is a noun phrase.
She had wide eyes.
Here, eyes is the noun and wide describes them.
Wide Eyed
Wide eyed is an adjective.
She looked wide eyed.
Here, wide eyed describes the person.
Compare:
The child had wide eyes.
The child was wide eyed.
Both describe a similar physical reaction, but the grammar differs.
This distinction can help prevent awkward sentences.
Wide Eyed vs. Big Eyed
These expressions aren’t identical either.
Big eyed can describe someone or something that literally has large eyes. It can also describe an astonished or deeply impressed reaction in some contexts. Merriam Webster lists both literal and figurative senses for big eyed.
Wide eyed, however, focuses on the eyes being opened wider than normal, often because of emotion.
Compare:
The cartoon character had big eyes.
This refers to eye size.
The child looked wide eyed when the lights came on.
This refers to the way the eyes opened in reaction.
Wide Eyed vs. Wild Eyed
Don’t confuse wide eyed with wild eyed.
Wide eyed commonly suggests surprise, wonder, fear, innocence, or amazement.
Wild eyed suggests an intense or uncontrolled emotional state. Oxford gives examples involving strong emotion and extreme or unrealistic ideas.
Compare:
The child was wide eyed with wonder.
The child is amazed.
The man looked wild eyed and desperate.
The man appears emotionally uncontrolled.
One small change creates a very different image.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wide Eyed Meaning
What does wide eyed mean in simple English?
Wide eyed means having your eyes open much wider than usual, often because you’re surprised, afraid, amazed, or filled with wonder. It can also mean innocent, inexperienced, or too trusting.
Does wide eyed mean surprised?
It can. A person may look wide eyed when something unexpected happens. However, the expression can also show fear, wonder, amazement, happiness, or curiosity.
Does wide eyed mean naive?
Sometimes. In its figurative sense, wide eyed can describe someone who has little experience and therefore trusts or believes things too easily. Oxford specifically connects this meaning with being naive.
Is wide eyed positive or negative?
It depends on context. Wide eyed wonder sounds positive, while wide eyed gullibility would sound critical. The phrase itself isn’t automatically positive or negative.
What is another word for wide eyed?
For the emotional sense, alternatives include amazed, astonished, surprised, awestruck, and stunned.
For the figurative sense, alternatives include naive, innocent, inexperienced, trusting, unworldly, and unsophisticated.
What does wide eyed with wonder mean?
Wide eyed with wonder means looking visibly amazed, fascinated, or delighted by something remarkable.
The children watched the fireworks wide eyed with wonder.
What does wide eyed with amazement mean?
It means someone looks extremely surprised or impressed by something extraordinary.
She stood wide eyed with amazement as the performers entered the stage.
How do you use wide eyed in a sentence?
You can use it before a noun:
a wide eyed child
After a linking verb:
The child was wide eyed.
Or after a verb describing looking:
He stared wide eyed at the screen.
Is wide eyed hyphenated?
Yes. Wide eyed is normally written with a hyphen as a compound adjective. Major dictionaries list it in this form.
What is the opposite of wide eyed?
There isn’t one single opposite. For the emotional sense, possible opposites include unfazed, unimpressed, indifferent, and unconcerned. For the figurative sense, possible opposites include experienced, sophisticated, skeptical, and discerning.
What does wide eyed innocence mean?
Wide eyed innocence refers to an innocent or inexperienced outlook. It can suggest that someone trusts people easily and hasn’t yet developed much worldly skepticism.
Is wide eyed the same as innocent?
Not always. Someone can be wide eyed with fear or wide eyed with amazement without being innocent. The figurative sense can suggest innocence, but the literal sense simply describes an emotional expression.
Final Takeaway: Wide Eyed Meaning Explained
The wide eyed meaning centers on two connected ideas.
First, wide eyed describes someone whose eyes are unusually open because of surprise, fear, wonder, happiness, amazement, or another strong reaction. Second, it can describe someone who is inexperienced, innocent, trusting, naive, or easily impressed. Cambridge, Oxford, and Merriam Webster all recognize these core meanings.
The easiest way to understand the expression is to look at the context.
The children stared wide eyed at the fireworks.
Here, wide eyed describes wonder and amazement.
The wide eyed newcomer believed every promise.
Here, it describes innocence and inexperience.
So, when you encounter wide eyed in English, don’t automatically translate it as surprised or naive. Look at what surrounds it. The phrase is flexible enough to describe a facial expression, an emotional reaction, or a person’s outlook.
That range is exactly what makes wide eyed such a useful and vivid expression.
