as in hurried
acting or done with excessive or careless speed
terrified forest creatures in a headlong retreat from the rapidly spreading fire
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in hastily
with excessive or careless speed
plunged headlong into the crowd in pursuit of the purse snatcher
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in immediately
without delay
had barely finished the last project when we went headlong into the next one
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of headlong
Sarah Chamberlain, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Right fielder Victor Robles, outfitted in two fluorescent armbands and pink cleats, caught the baseball with a headlong dive.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
Those arguments are coming solely from the White House, where Trump himself, with no meaningful assistance from policy experts, has run the United States headlong into a diplomatic rupture with its closest allies, Defense and State Department sources tell The Times.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for headlong
Adjective
With that lightness, making that headlong dive into uncertainty got easier.
—Sarah Chamberlain, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Right fielder Victor Robles, outfitted in two fluorescent armbands and pink cleats, caught the baseball with a headlong dive.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025
Adverb
That sent Grand Canyon guard Makaih Williams racing to the other end, headlong toward the basket into a tangle of Aztecs defenders.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
Those arguments are coming solely from the White House, where Trump himself, with no meaningful assistance from policy experts, has run the United States headlong into a diplomatic rupture with its closest allies, Defense and State Department sources tell The Times.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for headlong
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headlong
Adjective
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Interviews are typically hurried affairs, a business transaction more than anything else, with a strict time limit.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
16 Feb. 2026
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No desks stacked with laptops, no hurried haggling over prices in tight booths, no sense that collectors were racing against the clock.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Budapest has hosted several annual iterations of the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, and another was hastily rescheduled this year to fall in March, just before Hungary's elections.—
MATTHEW LEE,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
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Back in November, the organization’s two Arizona chapters hastily organized food and formula drives to combat heightened food insecurity caused by SNAP Benefit cuts during the government shutdown.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
17 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Meyer, an at-times combative career litigator, was brought in from the NHL Players Association in 2018 to add muscle to a bargaining team that was viewed as having surrendered ground in the negotiations for the 2017-2021 CBA, which was almost immediately panned as a loss for the players.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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McKinnor didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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May 21 – June 20 Steady, thoughtful sentences are your friend — skip the rushed word vomit!—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Gemini May 21 – June 20 Steady, thoughtful sentences are your friend — skip the rushed word vomit!—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
18 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The others are hurriedly opening your food.—
Molly Aitken,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
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His eyes strained to decipher the hurriedly ornate calligraphy, which often bled to the other side of the sheet, making the documents even harder to read.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Morris added that anyone with a history of anemia or who has an unexplained low red blood cell count should promptly be screened as well.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
15 Feb. 2026
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Every child deserves the support they are entitled to—delivered promptly and reliably.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Just Friends By Haley Pham Blair and Declan were once inseparable best friends whose brief, impulsive romance ended in heartbreak and silence after one shattering moment.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
21 Feb. 2026
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After getting two appointments right (Steve Cooper and Nuno Espirito Santo), Marinakis has reverted to type, with impulsive and erratic decision-making having undermined Forest’s campaign from the start.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Make Impulse Purchases People with organized homes are mindful not to buy things impulsively, explains Kristen Ziegler, the founder of Minima in Richmond, Virginia.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
5 Feb. 2026
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At today's prices, gold investing isn't something retirees can afford to treat casually or impulsively.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headlong.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headlong. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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