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
• giddy
• euphoric

Examples of heady in a Sentence

The plane soared to heady heights.

They were heady with their newfound success.

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s pretty heady stuff considering Dowdle came into the Miami game with 83 rushing yards and averaging less than 3 yards a carry. —Joseph Person, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025

The result is heady—readily referencing Giorgio Agamben and Theodor Adorno and relitigating the flaws of cancel culture—and Maggie, to put it plainly, is a bit of a pill. —Marley Marius, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025

Our afternoons delivered a heady dose of ABC after-school specials. —Glynnis MacNicol, Flow Space, 8 Oct. 2025

William had moreover swallowed an early, heady dose of Anglophilia. —Stacy Schiff, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 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