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headlong

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adverb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective headlong contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of headlong are abrupt, impetuous, precipitate, and sudden. While all these words mean "showing undue haste or unexpectedness," headlong stresses rashness and lack of forethought.

a headlong flight from arrest

When is abrupt a more appropriate choice than headlong?

The synonyms abrupt and headlong are sometimes interchangeable, but abrupt stresses curtness and a lack of warning or ceremony.

an abrupt refusal

In what contexts can impetuous take the place of headlong?

While the synonyms impetuous and headlong are close in meaning, impetuous stresses extreme impatience or impulsiveness.

an impetuous lover proposing marriage

Where would precipitate be a reasonable alternative to headlong?

In some situations, the words precipitate and headlong are roughly equivalent. However, precipitate stresses lack of due deliberation and implies prematureness of action.

the army's precipitate withdrawal

When would sudden be a good substitute for headlong?

The words sudden and headlong are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sudden stresses unexpectedness and sharpness or violence of action.

flew into a sudden rage

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of headlong
Adjective
Their headlong rise has mirrored that of the men’s team, and opened a pathway for girls and young women to play. George Caulkin, The Athletic, 22 Mar. 2025 The sheer ease of Jacobs-Jenkins’s writing drives the headlong rush of the first act, but in the unbalanced second half his technique wavers. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2025
Adverb
The fact that one of these two men could stake that claim this year speaks to two inarguable facts running headlong into each other. Brendan Quinn, The Athletic, 21 Mar. 2025 The team delve headlong into the uncanny to bring the fascinating world of the podcast to the screen. Holly Jones, Variety, 10 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for headlong
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headlong
Adjective
  • This comes as the Trump administration has faced growing criticisms for its hurried proceedings to remove as many noncitizens from the country as quickly as possible.
    Alana Wise, NPR, 26 Apr. 2025
  • In Alentejo, food is meant to be shared, and time at the table is never hurried, and this is a central element of the experience at São Lourenço do Barrocal.
    Monica Mendal, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • Most managers brought in mid-season hastily comb through the wreckage, tweak personnel into a shape that makes sense, and figure out how to boost performance levels.
    Brett Koremenos, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
  • The rebels captured Goma for the first time in 2012 but hastily withdrew, as military defeats and international sanctions slapped on their Rwandan backers forced them into exile.
    Sophie Neiman, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • The clerk's office for Cook County, Illinois, where the pontiff lived previously, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
    Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 10 May 2025
  • Edwards immediately fell and grabbed his left ankle.
    Anthony Slater, New York Times, 9 May 2025
Adverb
  • Unlike Southampton, who promptly dispatched their second manager of this season, Ivan Juric, immediately after relegation was confirmed, there has been a hesitancy about making a change.
    Rob Tanner, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Passengers are advised to practice frequent handwashing, report illnesses promptly, and consider using disinfectants in their cabins.
    Nathan Diller, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • To tell the story of a middle-aged man’s impulsive leap into restaurant ownership, he’s gathered an accomplished cast wielding effortless charm.
    Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2025
  • Could this change in spending from non-essential items to more essential ones mean a realignment away from impulsive internet purchases and toward more bare essentials?
    Roger Valdez, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Adverb
  • The no-cook meal combines a few of our favorite things—classic protein salads, fresh produce, and a few pickled components—into one treasured tradition that can instantly turn a miserably hot day into a cause for celebration.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 3 May 2025
  • As someone born and raised in northern California, this perfume oil instantly flooded me with summer memories.
    Ariel Wodarcyk, Glamour, 2 May 2025
Adjective
  • Military families, whose stability should be a national priority, are left instead navigating economic turbulence born out of reckless policymaking.
    Michael B Smith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Ironically, too, for the first offseason in well over a decade, the organization’s actual self-interest and penchant for reckless, all-in swings in pursuit of immediate gratification are actually aligned.
    Thomas Drance, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
    Seth Eli Barlow, Arkansas Online, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox.
    Emily Olsen, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Headlong.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headlong. Accessed 13 May. 2025.

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