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
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"The Wife of Bath's Tale," Vocabulary from the narrative poem
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The Bluest Eye
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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:
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
It was a heady few days in which saltires and Scotland's striking salmon-pink away top were everywhere.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 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
But it may also have given investors a good excuse to lock in some profit following the spell of heady gains for AST and Rocket Lab.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
She watched the remainder of the show from the side of the stage, in a heady post-performance glow.
From "George" by Alex Gino
Nothing like the durable consolations of late-life romance, but headier, more exciting and, in the worst cases, far more damaging.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
This is the type of movie that serves as an amuse-bouche to proper, headier dramas for the PG-13 crowd, and its bespoke accessibility is thoroughly appealing.
From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2026
Pulling in front of the AI pack—on its own terms—justifies Alphabet’s headier valuation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025
Terrific on their own, the fries are headier following a dip in Laser Wolf’s tehina ketchup, charged in part with fermented mango.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 19, 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
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 an example of adaptation, Baker’s pitching coach will be Mike Maddux, much respected in his own right and the brother of the headiest pitcher ever, Greg.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 5, 2015
Finest, coolest, headiest thing I ever seen done with a hoss in a pinch.
From Bull Hunter by Brand, Max
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.
