# giddy

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈɡɪd.i/ · frequency rank #21,809

## Definitions
1. Feeling a sense of spinning in the head, causing a perception of unsteadiness and being about to fall down; dizzy.
2. Causing or likely to cause dizziness or a feeling of unsteadiness.
3. Moving around something or spinning rapidly.
4. Unable to concentrate or think seriously; easily excited; impulsive; also, lightheartedly silly; frivolous.
5. Unable to concentrate or think seriously; easily excited; impulsive; also, lightheartedly silly; frivolous.
6. Joyfully elated; overcome with excitement or happiness.
7. Feeling great anger; furious, raging.
8. Of an animal, chiefly a sheep: affected by gid (“a disease caused by parasitic infestation of the brain by tapeworm larvae”), which may result in the animal turning around aimlessly.
9. Of a thing, especially a ship: unsteady, as if dizzy.

## Etymology
The adjective is derived from Middle English gidi, gedy, gydy (“demonically controlled or possessed; crazy, insane; foolish, idiotic, ridiculous, unwise; unsure; (rare) dizzy, shaky; (rare) of an animal: crazed, out of control; a fool”) [and other forms], from Old English gidiġ, gydiġ (“possessed by a demon or spirit, insane, mad”), from Proto-West Germanic *gudīg (“ghostly, spirited”, literally “possessed by a god or spirit”), from *god (“god”) + *-ig, *-g (suffix forming adjectives with the senses of being, doing, or having). The English word is analysable as god + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’, forming adjectives).
The noun and the verb are derived from the adjective.

## Easily confused with
- **godly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/giddy-vs-godly)
- **girly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/giddy-vs-girly)
- **Grady** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/giddy-vs-grady)
- **goody** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/giddy-vs-goody)
- **Ginny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/giddy-vs-ginny)
- **Gordy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/giddy-vs-gordy)
- **gilda** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/giddy-vs-gilda)
- **gilly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/giddy-vs-gilly)
- **gaudy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaudy-vs-giddy)

## Common misspellings (6)
`gdidy`, `ggiddy`, `giddyy`, `gidy`, `gidyd`, `igddy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/giddy