headless
Americanadjective
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without a head.
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having the head cut off; beheaded.
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having no leader or chief; leaderless.
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foolish; stupid.
a headless argument.
adjective
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without a head
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without a leader
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foolish or stupid
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prosody another word for catalectic
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of headless
before 1000; Middle English he ( ve ) dles, Old English hēafodlēas. See head, -less
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.
Irving’s whimsically inventive “Sketch Book” of stories introduced Rip Van Winkle, the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow and other timelessly folkloric figures to an eager readership.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
After a years-long investigation involving research, scientific testing and statements from now elderly witnesses, the headless statue arrived back in Turkey last year.
From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026
“I’ve been doing this home so long, maybe I’m losing track,” he says, casting a critical eye at the headless horseman rearing above him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2025
As Ambrose Pierce wrote, “Patriotism is as fierce as a fever, pitiless and the grave, blind as a stone and irrational as a headless man.”
From Salon ● May 17, 2025
Especially when there are so many shipwrecks, headless horsemen, gloomy talking birds, and other equally fascinating topics to write poems about?
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
