heady

[hed-ee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR heady ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, head·i·er, head·i·est.

intoxicating: a heady wine.

affecting the mind or senses greatly: heady perfume.

exciting; exhilarating: the heady news of victory.

rashly impetuous: heady conduct.

violent; destructive: heady winds.

clever; shrewd: a heady scheme to win the election.

Origin of heady

First recorded in 1350–1400, heady is from the Middle English word hevedy, hedy. See head, -y¹

Related formshead·i·ly, adverbhead·i·ness, nouno·ver·head·i·ness, nouno·ver·head·y, adjectiveun·head·y, adjective

Synonyms for heady

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR heady ON THESAURUS.COM

3. thrilling, stirring, stimulating.

Antonyms for heady

3. depressing, disappointing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for heady

The excitement was so heady that soon musicians were standing two and three deep at the bar of the Five Spot nearly every night.
The Stacks: John Coltrane’s Mighty Musical Quest|Nat Hentoff|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Aside from oil, Russia has two great exports: brilliant, heady novelists and captivating dashboard camera videos.
Russian Dashcam Car Chase|Alex Chancey, The Daily Beast Video|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These scenes bring out a strange lightheartedness you would not expect going into a film with such a heady synopsis.
'Rosewater' Review: Jon Stewart's Clumsy but Earnest Directorial Debut|Alex Suskind|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Though I was physically exhausted, my mind was filled with the heady, mysterious events of the day.
Real Life Lazarus: When Patients Rise From the Dead|Sandeep Jauhar|August 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The last six years have often been heady for someone who cares about progressive political movements.
Progressive-palooza: On Obama, Occupy, and Moral Monday|Jedediah Purdy|July 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A man of a strong, heady temperament, like Villon, is very differently tempted.
Familiar Studies of Men and Books|Robert Louis Stevenson
All of which filled Jacqueline with a new and heady sense of power.
Kildares of Storm|Eleanor Mercein Kelly
Meeting a stranger, someone with a different viewpoint, was a stimulating and heady as a glass of sparkling wine.
The Lost Wagon|James Arthur Kjelgaard
Here was not the heady, thoughtless boy to whom she had talked the other day.
The Shepherd of the North|Richard Aumerle Maher
It had a heady quality, or was that merely the close presence of Nadine herself?
Frigid Fracas|Dallas McCord Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for heady

heady

adjective headier or headiest

(of alcoholic drink) intoxicating

strongly affecting the mind or senses; extremely exciting

rash; impetuous

Derived Formsheadily, adverbheadiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for heady

adj.

late 14c., "headstrong, hasty, impetuous," from head (n.) + adj. suffix -y (2). First recorded 1570s in sense of "apt to go to the head."

heady

adjective, head·i·er, head·i·est.

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Origin of heady

Synonyms for heady

Antonyms for heady

Examples from the Web for heady

heady

adjective headier or headiest