as in hurried
acting or done with excessive or careless speed
terrified forest creatures in a headlong retreat from the rapidly spreading fire
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of headlong
Howard Copenhaver, Outdoor Life, 23 Apr. 2025
While no supporter — surely — would swap any of that frenetic, headlong decade for Tottenham’s inert version of stability, glory becomes addictive.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
President Trump’s vow to keep Medicaid intact is colliding headlong into the Republicans’ strategy to extend their 2017 tax cuts, complicating the GOP effort to secure a major policy win in the early months of Trump’s second term.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for headlong
Adjective
My yell must have startled him for a second or two, and my headlong rush kept him off balance just long enough.
—Howard Copenhaver, Outdoor Life, 23 Apr. 2025
While no supporter — surely — would swap any of that frenetic, headlong decade for Tottenham’s inert version of stability, glory becomes addictive.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Adverb
The Devils barrels headlong into campy, often overbearing jokiness, with too many catchphrases and one-liners repeated too often that never quite land the way Logen’s do in The First Law, or Glokta’s for that matter.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
President Trump’s vow to keep Medicaid intact is colliding headlong into the Republicans’ strategy to extend their 2017 tax cuts, complicating the GOP effort to secure a major policy win in the early months of Trump’s second term.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for headlong
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headlong
Adjective
-
My Dien is a hurried cluster that has grown up ad hoc, with buildings of varying sizes rising like reeds from a fertile swamp.—
Damien Cave,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
-
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
Adverb
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Her team hastily designed a sliding-scale lockdown system.—
Rachel Morris,
New Yorker,
5 June 2025
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Wonder how many Lake County lawmakers actually read this document that received little public review and was hastily adopted in the last 48 hours of the session?—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2025
Adverb
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When Crosby was finally ready to go, Tsamis signed him and immediately put him into a pressure situation.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
3 June 2025
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Fraser might’ve noticed immediately that the bags simply weren’t following behind the guests and the captain.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
3 June 2025
Adverb
-
As Kagan said in court on Thursday, the Mexican government might have had a good theory, but U.S cities brought similar suits in the early 2000s, and Congress promptly passed a law shielding gun manufacturers from lawsuits stemming from the criminal use of a firearm by a third party.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
5 June 2025
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Even a minor issue can escalate into a major reputational disaster if it’s not handled promptly and transparently.—
Valentina Drofa,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Although bad things do happen to him, they are often caused by his own careless and impulsive nature.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
-
Move slowly and be careful about impulsive ideas and actions.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
30 May 2025
Adverb
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Harmon’s move came against the backdrop of the former Illinois House speaker’s upcoming sentencing for corruption and abuse of power and almost instantly created a bipartisan legislative controversy that resulted in the bill never getting called for a vote.—
Ray Long,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2025
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But Alcaraz was not to be denied this time, breaking back instantly to ensure the Italian lost a grand slam set for the first time since the fourth round of the Australian Open five months ago.—
Jamie Barton,
CNN Money,
8 June 2025
Adjective
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Keep an open mind, as an erratic square between Mars and Uranus on June 15 could shake things up in unpredictable ways and result in some reckless behavior.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
6 June 2025
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The girl’s 47-year-old stepmom is charged with child endangerment and reckless endangerment by discharging a firearm from within a motor vehicle, Shelby County court records show.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2025
Adverb
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House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has spearheaded the bill’s passage, tried to stem the fallout by reaching out to Musk directly.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
4 June 2025
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Called the Truth Social Bitcoin ETF, the fund is designed to track the price of bitcoin and offer a simpler way for investors to gain exposure without holding the asset directly.—
MacKenzie Sigalos,
CNBC,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Headlong.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headlong. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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