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• spacey
  spacey

  adjective

  dazed, out of touch with reality, or easily confused; spaced-out.
• Spacey
  Spacey

  noun

  Kevin, original name Kevin Spacey Fowler . born 1959, US actor; films include Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), The Usual Suspects (1995), American Beauty (1999), which earned him an Academy Award, The Shipping News (2001), and Beyond the Sea (2004); artistic director of Old Vic Theatre Company, London, from 2003

spacey

American  

[spey-see] / ˈspeɪ si /

Or spacy

adjective

Informal.

spacier, spaciest

1. dazed, out of touch with reality, or easily confused; spaced-out.

   The younger character was spacey and prone to making mistakes.

2. 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.

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Spacey ¹ British  

/ ˈspeɪsɪ /

noun

1. Kevin, original name Kevin Spacey Fowler . born 1959, US actor; films include Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), The Usual Suspects (1995), American Beauty (1999), which earned him an Academy Award, The Shipping News (2001), and Beyond the Sea (2004); artistic director of Old Vic Theatre Company, London, from 2003

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spacey ² British  

/ ˈspeɪsɪ /

adjective

1. slang vague and dreamy, as if under the influence of drugs

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Etymology

Origin of spacey

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70; space + -ey ¹

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

Spacey and Clinton were travelling on a humanitarian trip to promote Aids prevention.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Spacey denies any non-consensual contact with the men.

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

Yannetti said Read’s legal defense team brought Jackson on board because of his work with Spacey.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

“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