heady
Americanadjective
-
intoxicating.
a heady wine.
-
affecting the mind or senses greatly.
heady perfume.
-
exciting; exhilarating.
the heady news of victory.
- Antonyms:
- disappointing, depressing
-
rashly impetuous.
heady conduct.
-
violent; destructive.
heady winds.
-
clever; shrewd.
a heady scheme to win the election.
adjective
-
(of alcoholic drink) intoxicating
-
strongly affecting the mind or senses; extremely exciting
-
rash; impetuous
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of heady
First recorded in 1350–1400, heady is from the Middle English word hevedy, hedy. See head, -y 1
Explanation
Something that's heady is extremely thrilling. You might have a heady feeling as you walk up on stage to get your high school diploma. Use the adjective heady to describe a sensation that is so exciting it makes you a little dizzy, a bit like being intoxicated. You could talk about the heady scent of your mom's rose garden or the heady feeling of winning the state spelling bee. The fourteenth century meaning of heady was "headstrong or impetuous," and it's sometimes still used in this way. By the 1570's, it had also come to mean "apt to go to the head," or "exhilarating."
Vocabulary lists containing heady
The Great Gatsby
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Wife of Bath's Tale," Vocabulary from the narrative poem
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Bluest Eye
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, “Inception”—a script Nolan worked on for about a decade—is a heady heist film about “extractors” who invade other people’s dreams.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
They flickered occasionally over McCullum's next three years in charge, but nothing like that heady first year.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
She still holds fond memories of that heady achievement, including chatting with her idol, Roger Federer, at the Wimbledon Champions Ball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
From it, the court just inferred that it must recognize serious, heady limits on Congress’ power to spend the tax dollars it has collected.
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
I was heady and happy and I could feel myself—a future me—running.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
Pulling in front of the AI pack—on its own terms—justifies Alphabet’s headier valuation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025
Perhaps the film could have leaned more into being headier, more emotional, have more going on.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2023
It’s pressure because you can’t be playing at a higher level with a headier crowd of luminaries around you.
From Seattle Times ● May 21, 2023
“I had written a book,” he wrote, “that was compared with Henry James and Marcel Proust and, headier still, was labeled decadent.”
From Washington Post ● Aug. 22, 2022
Heady is the ale of Erin, but the ale of the Great Plain is headier.
From Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race by Rolleston, T. W. (Thomas William)
Fox Corp. sat out the headiest days of the streaming boom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
“He’s one of the headiest baseball players I’ve ever been around,” said Roberts of Hernández.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025
The next few weeks could be the headiest in Philadelphia sports since Rocky Balboa went the distance, which, depending whom you ask, either does or does not count as a real moment.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 21, 2022
It was one of the headiest plays of the day in the Kraken’s first scrimmage, one where Donskoi’s White team defeated the Blue team 5-1.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 25, 2021
As the populace love the headiest doctrines, they preferred preachers in proportion as they leaned towards the Marrow, while lay patrons preferred candidates of the opposite views.
From A Short History of Scotland by Lang, Andrew
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.
