giddy

[ gid-ee ]

adjective

, gid·di·er, gid·di·est.

1. affected with vertigo; dizzy.

   Synonyms: vertiginous, lightheaded

2. attended with or causing dizziness:

   a giddy climb.

3. frivolous and lighthearted; flighty:

   a giddy young person.

   Synonyms: vacillating, inconstant, fickle, mercurial, volatile, unstable

verb (used with or without object)

, gid·died, gid·dy·ing.

1. to make or become giddy.

giddy

/ ˈɡɪdɪ /

adjective

1. affected with a reeling sensation and feeling as if about to fall; dizzy
2. causing or tending to cause vertigo
3. impulsive; scatterbrained
4. my giddy aunt
   an exclamation of surprise

verb

1. to make or become giddy

Derived Forms

• ˈgiddiness, noun
• ˈgiddily, adverb

Other Words From

• gid·di·ly adverb
• gid·di·ness noun
• un·gid·dy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of giddy¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English gidy, Old English gidig “mad,” variant of gydig (unrecorded), derivative of god God, presumably originally “possessed by a divine being”

Word History and Origins

Origin of giddy¹

Old English gydig mad, frenzied, possessed by God; related to God

Example Sentences

Neither Rubio nor Mike Waltz, who was nominated to be Trump's national security advisor, sparked giddy enthusiasm, but as one European diplomat put it to Politico: "They are a bit less awful than others."

From Salon

This giddy revival has no interest in playing by the normal Shakespearean rules.

From Los Angeles Times

Putting fire to any alcohol doused sauce makes me giddy, and according to what I am cooking, that energy presents in a variety of ways.

From Salon

By the time I got to Gate 40, I was giddy from shock and out of breath.

From Los Angeles Times

“When you’re excited to share what you’ve created with people, it’s the most exciting thing in the world. You feel giddy.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bemused
• dizzy
• gaga
• skittish
• woozy