headless

American

[hed-lis] / ˈhɛd lɪs /

adjective

without a head.
having the head cut off; beheaded.
having no leader or chief; leaderless.
foolish; stupid.

a headless argument.

ˈheadless British

/ ˈhɛdlɪs /

adjective

without a head
without a leader
foolish or stupid
prosody another word for catalectic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

headlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of headless

before 1000; Middle English he ( ve ) dles, Old English hēafodlēas. See head, -less

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.

After a years-long investigation involving research, scientific testing and statements from now elderly witnesses, the headless statue arrived back in Turkey last year.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

They’re most comfortable behaving like headless chickens running around looking for someone to blame.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2025

As Ambrose Pierce wrote, “Patriotism is as fierce as a fever, pitiless and the grave, blind as a stone and irrational as a headless man.”

From Salon • May 17, 2025

I think that’s a bit like examining funny-looking moles on a headless body: real things, but not the main problem.

From Slate • Nov. 5, 2024

We walk, sedately- The sun is out, in the sky there are white fluffy clouds, the kind that look like headless sheep.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023