Eyeopening

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Providing insights that reveal new or surprising facts or viewpoints
2. Causing someone to see or understand something in a way they had not before
3. Offering an experience or information that broadens or changes one's understanding

Etymology: "Eyeopening" is the closed-up spelling of "eye-opening," a compound built from "eye" and "opening," the present participle of "open." The image is literal: something that makes you see, with the eyes or the mind, what had been hidden or unnoticed. The phrase grew out of the older sense of "opening the eyes" of someone, meaning to make them aware of a truth or a deception. Because the metaphor is so transparent, the compound reads as a fresh coinage each time it is used, and dictionaries record it as a plain adjective describing an experience that is very revealing.

Synonyms: revelatory, illuminating

Antonyms: uninformative, blinding