dazed, out of touch with reality, or easily confused; spaced-out.
The younger character was spacey and prone to making mistakes.
characterized by an ethereal or dreamlike quality, or evoking a feeling reminiscent of the altered state experienced under the influence of narcotic drugs.
He uses lots of effects that give the music an eerie, spacey feel.
Someone who's spacey acts distracted, befuddled, and maybe a bit strange. You might be a little spacey after you get your wisdom teeth removed. When people say funny things as they're coming out of anesthesia, acting silly or out of touch with reality, they're being spacey. You might also have a spacey friend who simply tends to be a little forgetful or quirky. This informal adjective, also spelled spacy, originally meant "roomy" and then "acting or feeling as if you're in outer space," probably from 1965 American slang, spaced-out.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Reiner was initially represented by high-profile criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson, who also repped Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, but in January, Jackson dropped Reiner when his siblings didn’t pay for the pricey defense.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Two other anonymous individuals, whose allegations were the subject of criminal trials in July 2023 which cleared Spacey, are also suing him.
From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026
Jackson, a high-profile attorney who has previously represented Hollywood clients including Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, told reporters he was "legally and ethically" barred from explaining why he had stepped back.
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
The lawyer, who has previously represented Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, added that Reiner was not guilty of murder.
From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026
“In high school one of my nicknames was Spacey Faraci because I always had my head in the clouds.”
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
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.
