Standard Lemma guide

empty-headed

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adj

Meaning 1

Silly and lacking sense or discretion; featherbrained or scatterbrained.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: absent-minded, bubbleheaded, peabrain

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Unintelligent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: brainless, peabrain, addlebrained, addlepated, airheaded, bee-brained, beef-witted, beefheaded, beetle-headed, birdbrained, blockheaded, Boeotian, boneheaded, boofheaded, braindead, bubbleheaded, buffle-headed, bullet-headed, cerebrally challenged, childish, chowderheaded, chuckleheaded, crackbrained, cretinous, daft, dense, dented, dim-bulb, dim-headed, dim-witted, dim, doltish, dopey, dozy, drowsy, dull-headed, dull-minded, dull-witted, dull, dumber than a box of rocks, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, fatheaded, feeble-minded, flea-brained, foolish, fuzzy-headed, fuzzy-minded, goofy, half-brained, half-witted, hammer-headed, idiotic, ignorant, imbecilic, inane, insipid, intellectually challenged, knuckleheaded, lamebrained, lowbrow, lumpish, lunkheaded, mentally challenged, mentally retarded, mindless, monosynaptic, moronic, muttonheaded, nitwitted, numbskulled, oafish, obtuse, peabrained, pratty, pudding-headed, puerile, purblind, quarter-witted, retarded, ridiculous, rockheaded, sharp as a bowling ball, sheep-headed, silly, simple, slow, slow on the uptake, slow-witted, smooth-brained, stolid, stupid, thick-skulled, thickheaded, thickwitted, thick, unapprehensive, unclever, uninformed, unintelligent, unsmart, vacant, vacuous, witless, wooden-headed, wool-headed, woolly-headed, woolly-minded, dumb as a bag of hammers, dumb as a box of rocks, dumb as a doorknob, dumb as an ox, dumb as a post, dumb as a sack of hammers, dumb as dirt, dumber than a rock, not the sharpest crayon in the box, not the sharpest knife in the drawer, not the sharpest tool in the shed, thick as a brick, thick as a plank, thick as champ, thick as mince, thick as two short planks, thick as a whale omelette, ass-brained, fuckwitted, shit-for-brains, thick as pig shit

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

lacking seriousness; given to frivolity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a dizzy blonde
  • light-headed teenagers
  • silly giggles

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: airheaded, dizzy, featherbrained, giddy, light-headed, lightheaded, silly

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From empty + headed; compare airheaded.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Esperanto: ventanima — silly
  • Greek: κουφιοκέφαλος (koufiokéfalos) — silly
  • Hungarian: üresfejű — silly
  • Hungarian: széllelbélelt — silly
  • Māori: hore — silly
  • Polish: głupkowaty — silly
  • Polish: niemądry — silly
  • Polish: pusty — silly
  • Portuguese: cabeça oca — silly
  • Spanish: cabeza hueca — silly
  • Turkish: mankafa — silly
  • Turkish: ahmak — silly
  • Turkish: budala — silly
  • Welsh: penwag — silly