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

Kimberly White/Getty Images Complex ideas, heady discourse, high ideas—a good time was had. —Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 27 Sep. 2024

Amidst artillery fire and smoke, gender expectations and heady barriers, wartime photographer Lee Miller trounced it all to take some of the most important photographs of the 20th century. —Sam Falb, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2024

The Life Impossible The Life Impossible by Matt Haig $30 $28 Bookshop $22 Amazon Matt Haig, author of the wildly popular novel The Midnight Library, is known for delighting readers with his heady explorations of life and love that unfold with imaginative, speculative twists. —Christine Pride, SELF, 25 Sep. 2024

That’s science, not fiction, and a world away from the heady optimism of the Cold War dreamers who once envisioned a future embedded in ice. —Paul Bierman, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2024

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