heady

adjective

ˈhe-dē 

headier; headiest

1

a

: willful, rash

heady opinions

b

: violent, impetuous

2

a

: tending to intoxicate or make giddy or elated

heady wine

being in such distinguished company was a heady experience

b

: giddy, exhilarated

heady with his success

c

: rich

a heady sauce

a heady variety

d

: impressive

a man of heady accomplishments

3

a

: marked by or showing good judgment : shrewd, intelligent

b

: intellectually stimulating or demanding

headily

ˈhe-də-lē 

adverb

headiness

ˈhe-dē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• ecstatic
• elated
• elevated
• enrapt
• enraptured
• entranced
• euphoric
• exhilarated
• giddy
• intoxicated
• rapt
• rapturous
• rhapsodic
• rhapsodical

Examples of heady in a Sentence

The plane soared to heady heights.

They were heady with their newfound success.

Recent Examples on the Web

Nafisi brings these classics into dialogue with the real-life stories of young Iranians in the heady decades following the 1979 revolution. —Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2025

The 6-foot-9 Thomas is a heady philosopher who likes to influence the game at the point of attack. —Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2025

The 41st annual Sundance Film Festival kicks off Thursday in Park City, Utah, with a heady slate of 90 feature-length films from around the globe. —Dan Allen, NBC News, 24 Jan. 2025

Who can resist a gadget, especially one that takes us back to the heady days of the Sony Walkman cassette player? —Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

heady

adjective

ˈhed-ē 

headier; headiest

1

: willful sense 1, rash

2

: likely to make one giddy

heady wine

a heady height

headily

ˈhed-ə-lē 

adverb

headiness

ˈhed-ē-nəs 

noun