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headless

American  
[hed-lis] / ˈhɛd lɪs /

adjective

  1. without a head.

  2. having the head cut off; beheaded.

  3. having no leader or chief; leaderless.

  4. foolish; stupid.

    a headless argument.


ˈheadless British  
/ ˈhɛdlɪs /

adjective

  1. without a head

  2. without a leader

  3. foolish or stupid

  4. prosody another word for catalectic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • headlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of headless

before 1000; Middle English he ( ve ) dles, Old English hēafodlēas. See head, -less

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Twenty-five of the nails were headless and deliberately bent at right angles; the others were complete roundheaded nails with the shanks twisted multiple times.

From New York Times

Shop owner Chinedu Anya said that displaying clothes on a headless mannequin would reduce their attractiveness to passers-by and affect his business.

From BBC

“They were criticized by our CEO Mr. Ren Zhengfei, by business departments, by customers, and by employees. We were like a headless chicken, running around aimlessly.”

From Washington Post

Variations can be found along Mexico’s Pacific coast and into the Yucatán Peninsula: You’ll find some in their traditional head-on form and others that are headless and peeled.

From New York Times

Police arrived to find Thayer’s headless body on the ground, next to her bloodied car.

From Seattle Times