Heady

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Heady

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

adjective

Pronunciation

HED-ee  /ˈhɛdi/

Definition

Having a strong effect on the senses; intoxicating or exhilarating; (of a period or experience) thrilling and slightly overwhelming; (archaic) rash, impetuous, or headstrong.

Plain meaning

Heady means intoxicatingly exciting — a heady atmosphere, a heady mix, heady days. It describes something that produces a kind of dizziness or exhilaration from its intensity. A heady scent, a heady wine, the heady days of early success.

Register

Literary to elevated informal. Heady is a slightly heightened word — it adds a particular sensory and emotional intensity to what it describes. It is more evocative than exciting or intoxicating in isolation, suggesting something pleasurable but slightly overwhelming.