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Meaning & use

dizzying

adjective·Advanced

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UK/ˈdɪziɪŋ/
US/ˈdɪziɪŋ/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Making you feel as if you may lose your balance or that everything is spinning, often because of height or speed.

    Grammar: Usually before a noun: a dizzying height; sometimes after a verb: the view was dizzying.

    Patterns

    • dizzying heights
    • a dizzying ride

    The dizzying view from the tower made her step back.

    We took a dizzying ride on the roller coaster.

    He looked down the dizzying drop and held on tight.

  2. adjectivecomparablefigurative

    So big, fast or complicated that it is hard to take in or keep up with.

    Grammar: Often before a noun: a dizzying pace.

    Patterns

    • a dizzying array of something
    • at a dizzying pace

    The shop offers a dizzying array of cereals.

    Prices have risen at a dizzying pace this year.

    The dizzying speed of change in technology surprised her.

Word forms

comparativemore dizzying
superlativemost dizzying

Common combinations

dizzying heights
The skyscraper reached dizzying heights.
a dizzying array
The menu had a dizzying array of choices.
at a dizzying pace
The company grew at a dizzying pace.
a dizzying speed
The car drove off at dizzying speed.
dizzying view
The dizzying view from the cliff took our breath away.

Synonyms and how they differ

giddy
Giddy describes the person's feeling, often excited or silly, whereas dizzying describes the thing that causes the feeling.
staggering
Staggering stresses surprise at a huge amount, while dizzying stresses speed, height or confusing variety.
breathtaking
Breathtaking is positive, suggesting beauty or wonder, while dizzying may also be unsettling.
head-spinning
Head-spinning is a more informal, vivid way of saying the same thing.

Opposites

steadyslow

Word family

dizzy adjective
feeling unsteady or as if spinning
dizziness noun
the feeling of being unsteady
dizzily adverb
in a way that shows or causes dizziness
dizzy verb
to make someone feel confused or unsteady

Commonly confused: dizzying or dizzy?

dizzying vs dizzy

Dizzy describes how a person feels, but dizzying describes what causes the feeling: a dizzying view makes you dizzy.

Practice

The mountain road climbed to ___ heights, and I felt too nervous to look out the window.

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