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

Dylan Holloway, Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas have been three of the NHL’s top scorers in that span, helping propel St. Louis to a heady 4.1 goals per game. —James Mirtle, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

That was in the heady days of Trump’s first term, and multiple outlets took a swing at the mystery. —Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 28 Mar. 2025

Super Tuscan comes off a little like a rye, the nose heady with rye cereal and ginger. —Tony Sachs, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025

These are heady times for constitutional conservatives bent on reviving and fortifying the original separation of powers. —Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for heady

• ready
• reddi
• steady
• teddy
• thready
• already
• unsteady

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