spacey

American  

[spey-see] / ˈspeɪ si /

Or spacy

adjective

Informal.

spacier, spaciest

1. dazed, out of touch with reality, or easily confused; spaced-out.

   The younger character was spacey and prone to making mistakes.

2. characterized by an ethereal or dreamlike quality, or evoking a feeling reminiscent of the altered state experienced under the influence of narcotic drugs.

   He uses lots of effects that give the music an eerie, spacey feel.

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Spacey ¹ British  

/ ˈspeɪsɪ /

noun

1. Kevin, original name Kevin Spacey Fowler . born 1959, US actor; films include Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), The Usual Suspects (1995), American Beauty (1999), which earned him an Academy Award, The Shipping News (2001), and Beyond the Sea (2004); artistic director of Old Vic Theatre Company, London, from 2003

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spacey ² British  

/ ˈspeɪsɪ /

adjective

1. slang vague and dreamy, as if under the influence of drugs

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Etymology

Origin of spacey

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70; space + -ey ¹

Example Sentences

The first two Tame Impala albums, 2010’s “Innerspeaker” and 2012’s “Lonerism,” were filled with carefully assembled psychedelic rock featuring spacey guitar riffs and moments of pleasing disorientation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025

Songs like “Round Midnight” or “Isn’t it Romantic” begin Bill Evans-ish before lovingly entering into a Riley-ish spacey realm.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 6, 2025

And he appeared just as often in more popular fare, playing a spacey tank commander in “Kelly’s Heroes,” a demented arsonist in “Backdraft” and an authoritarian president in the “Hunger Games” films.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 27, 2024

Whereas he once presented himself as a vain peacock, Clay here comes off as spacey and a bit doddering, swaddled in scarves and wide sunglasses and outfits Susie Essman might wear on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2024

I guess I was the one actin’ spacey, but she just told me to take her home.

From "Tears of a Tiger" by Sharon M. Draper