spaced-out

American  

[speyst-out] / ˈspeɪstˈaʊt /

Also spaced

adjective

Informal.

1. dazed or stupefied because of the influence of narcotic drugs.

   The spaced-out main characters are the primary feature of a stoner comedy.

2. dreamily or eerily out of touch with reality or seemingly so; spacey.

   He was rushed to the hospital with signs of a concussion, including spaced-out and confused behavior.

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spaced out British  

adjective

1. Often shortened to: spaced.  slang intoxicated through or as if through taking a drug

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Etymology

Origin of spaced-out

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70; on the pattern of phrasal verbs with out marking completed action, such as tired out; space apparently by association with “outer space” as, metaphorically, a place outside normal consciousness

Example Sentences

The shiny-faced, spaced-out humans of 2024 have ceded their place to an expanded host of critters, letting Coke dodge the “uncanny valley” where nearly real simulations of people wind up unsettling viewers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 3, 2025

The tour is in support of the band's seventh album, The Car, which builds on the lounge-y, spaced-out orchestral vibes of their previous record, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.

From BBC • May 29, 2023

The entire evening was a giant, justifiable embrace between the lovably spaced-out star and a crowd that always had his back.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2023

It’s only two minutes long, but “Amber,” from the second half of the project, runs like a spaced-out symphony.

From New York Times • May 27, 2022

They will need a teacher who turns out strong, free-thinking individuals, *not* spaced-out, dependent disciples.

From Take Me for a Ride: coming of age in a destructive cult by Laxer, Mark Eliot