dizzy

[ diz-ee ]

adjective

, diz·zi·er, diz·zi·est.

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)

, diz·zied, diz·zy·ing.

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

Derived Forms

• ˈdizzily, adverb
• ˈdizziness, noun

Other Words From

• dizzi·ly adverb
• dizzi·ness 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

The velocity with which these creators deliver cultural references could make you dizzy, the jokes-per-minute rate approaches double digits and tart social commentary abounds.

From Time

Being able to toggle off features, especially if someone begins to feel dizzy or confused, can prevent a seizure.

From Washington Post

A dizzy spell that prevented me from covering an NFL playoff game in January.

From Washington Post

When I finally crested the ridge, my breath was coarse, and my head felt dizzy.

From Outside Online

By the second week, which she describes as “the scariest and hardest on my body,” her chest was burning and she was dizzy.

From MIT Technology Review

Many are trippy, dizzy-making affairs that could pass for screensavers.

From The Daily Beast

The New York Post quoted a source saying, “He had been taking blood pressure medication and had experienced some dizzy spells.”

From The Daily Beast

Somebody must have gotten a little dizzy during his 2012 “Pivot to East Asia.”

From The Daily Beast

“As a result, doing both exercise and a cleanse can leave you feeling tired, dizzy and nauseous,” she says.

From The Daily Beast

At the end of their segment, the BBC commentator Hazel Irvine noted how dizzy they must be.

From The Daily Beast

Indeed, to turn over his concertos, and see how he has fingered them alone, is enough to make you dizzy.

From Project Gutenberg

Again, he may grow faint and dizzy when he has climbed only a part of the way, or he may lose his hold from very weakness.

From Project Gutenberg

She began to feel less dizzy, and having paused for a moment on the landing, she succeeded in getting her coat on.

From Project Gutenberg

It was on a bare rock, surrounded by deep sea, that the streets of Tyre were piled up to a dizzy height.

From Project Gutenberg

They mounted through darkened chambers, up dizzy ladders, to the summit of the donjon.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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