light-headed

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Feeling dizzy or faint, as if you might fall over.

   Grammar: Used after a verb like feel or get: I felt light-headed.

   Patterns

   • feel light-headed
   • get light-headed

   I felt light-headed when I stood up too quickly.

   She got light-headed after skipping breakfast and lunch.

   If you feel light-headed, sit down and drink some water.

2. 2adjectivecomparableold-fashioned

   Happy and carefree in a slightly silly way, not thinking seriously.

   Grammar: Describes mood or people: a light-headed mood.

   Patterns

   • feel light-headed with something

   They were light-headed with joy after the final exam.

   He felt light-headed with relief when the results came.

   A light-headed mood filled the party.

Word forms

Common combinations

feel light-headed

I feel light-headed in the heat.

become light-headed

He became light-headed at the top of the stairs.

slightly light-headed

She was slightly light-headed after the blood test.

light-headed with relief

He was light-headed with relief.

light-headed and dizzy

The patient was light-headed and dizzy.

Synonyms and how they differ

dizzy

Dizzy suggests a spinning feeling, whereas light-headed means faint or woozy without spinning.

faint

Faint means about to pass out, which is stronger than light-headed.

woozy

Woozy is more informal and suggests being unsteady and confused, as after medicine.

giddy

Giddy often means excited or silly, so it matches the emotional sense of light-headed better than the physical one.

Opposites

Word family

light-headedness noun

the feeling of being dizzy or faint

lightheaded adjective

the American spelling

head noun

the part of the body above the neck

light-headedly adverb

in a dizzy or giddy way

Commonly confused: light-headed or light-hearted?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “light-headed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words