dizzy

[diz-ee]

adjective

dizzier, dizziest 

1. having a sensation of whirling and a tendency to fall; giddy; vertiginous.

2. bewildered; confused.

3. causing giddiness or confusion.

   a dizzy height.

4. heedless; thoughtless.

5. Informal.,  foolish; silly.

verb (used with object)

dizzied, dizzying 

1. to make dizzy.

dizzy

/ ˈdɪzɪ /

adjective

1. affected with a whirling or reeling sensation; giddy

2. mentally confused or bewildered

3. causing or tending to cause vertigo or bewilderment

4. informal,  foolish or flighty

verb

1. (tr) to make dizzy

Other Word Forms

• dizzily adverb
• dizziness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dizzy¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English dysy, Old English dysig “foolish”; cognate with Low German düsig “stupefied”

Word History and Origins

Origin of dizzy¹

Old English dysig silly; related to Old High German tusīg weak, Old Norse dos quiet

Example Sentences

“It’s bewildering and dizzying and, I think, disorienting for everyone. People don’t know what’s coming next.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Even in normal times, the national park's dizzying heights and picturesque remote valleys are irresistible to enthusiasts, who make clandestine jumps at dawn or dusk.

Read more on Barron's

Gotham Cannabis Dispensary – New York City is filled with a dizzying array of cannabis dispensaries and hemp shops, making it tricky for visitors to find a product that actually delivers.

Read more on Salon

As the night wore on, I felt dizzy, sick to my stomach and, at the worse of it, was overtaken by the out-of-nowhere feeling of rage.

Read more on Salon

When he was really small, and I was holding him in the middle of the night, and he was looking up at me, I would get the strangest, the most dizzying doubled feeling.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• dazed 
• distracted 
• dumb 
• giddy 
• groggy 
• shaky 
• wobbly 
• woozy