space cadet
Americannoun
-
a person who appears to be in their own world or out of touch with reality.
-
a person who behaves oddly or seems stupefied or remote because of the influence of drugs; druggie.
noun
Etymology
Origin of space cadet
1950–55, for sense “spaceman trainee”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It's been too long cowboy," says space cadet Buzz - again voiced by Tim Allen - in the new trailer, released late on Thursday.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026
People complain that it’s empty and boring, but for someone like me who’s always been a bit of space cadet, I can be that same space cadet but this time where it counts: in space!
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2020
I had always thought that turning it off and letting it flow was a bunch of hippie space cadet psychic burn-out stuff.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2018
The other panelists to stand out were Gabourey Sidibe, who said of Daniels: “He still calls me Precious,” and Terrence Howard, professional space cadet.
From The Guardian • Mar. 13, 2016
My cousin Jason Taylor is such a space cadet.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
