featherbrained

8.3

Not serious and likely to make bad choices

adjective
/ˈfɛðərˌbreɪnd/

Offensive

: descabellado

The featherbrained decision to throw a large party without invitations resulted in an empty house.

Examples

"Sir Spider has a penchant for beautiful though featherbrained widgeons.

Fiction book (1990)
Worse yet, she had received a letter from him announcing a piece of featherbrained news: he was planning to get married.

Fiction book (1995)
Her featherbrained idea to quit her job without a backup plan left everyone surprised.
It's quite featherbrained to spend all your savings on a luxury vacation without considering future expenses.

Synonyms

silly

vsfeatherbrained

976 1.0

Not sensible and often a little foolish

adds a sense of frivolity and lightness to that lack of sense

frivolous

vsfeatherbrained

74 6.8

Not serious and not useful, often wasting time or money

is similar but highlights foolish judgement rather than worthlessness

dizzy

vsfeatherbrained

Informal

12 3.9

Someone who is silly and not very serious

leans more toward foolish judgement rather than merely scattered thought

giddy

vsfeatherbrained

Informal

12 4.4

Acting silly and playful without being serious

is more about poor judgement and frivolous decision making

harebrained

vsfeatherbrained

Informal

10 8.5

An idea or plan that is very foolish and not well thought out

focuses on poor judgement in people rather than only bad plans

ditzy

vsfeatherbrained

Informal

5 8.2

Silly and a little forgetful in a friendly way

is similar but can include a more careless lack of judgement

dippy

vsfeatherbrained

Informal

5 8.2

Being silly and a little strange in a friendly way

focuses more on poor judgement rather than eccentric amusement

empty-headed

vsfeatherbrained

Offensive

3 6.3

Silly, not very intelligent and not serious

emphasizes a silly, frivolous attitude rather than empty intellect

goosey

vsfeatherbrained

Informal

2 9.8

Silly in a way that shows bad judgment

is similar but often sounds less colloquial and more neutral

ditsy

vsfeatherbrained

Informal

1 7.2

Being silly and forgetful but not serious

is less endearing and more generally frivolous or thoughtless

light-headed

vsfeatherbrained

Informal

1 5.0

Being silly and not serious in behavior

is closer to poor judgement specifically rather than light mood

lightheaded

vsfeatherbrained

Informal

1 5.6

Not serious or sensible and often acting silly

adds a sense of frivolity and flippant poor judgement

birdbrained

vsfeatherbrained

Offensive

1 8.2

Very silly and not very smart

is similar but stresses lack of seriousness rather than low intelligence

airheaded

vsfeatherbrained

Offensive

1 7.9

Not thinking carefully and often acting silly

focuses more on poor judgement rather than just light behaviour

flea-brained

vsfeatherbrained

Offensive

1 9.8

Being very silly and not serious

is the same idea but with a lighter, more playful flavour

lamebrained

vsfeatherbrained

Offensive

1 8.4

Very silly and not showing good sense

leans more toward a light, frivolous lack of seriousness

crackbrained

vsfeatherbrained

Offensive

1 9.9

Very foolish and not sensible or responsible

is less extreme and more about playful or silly behaviour

knuckleheaded

vsfeatherbrained

Informal

1 8.4

Acting in a silly, thoughtless way

is similar but can be seen as less crude or blunt

light-minded

vsfeatherbrained

1 7.9

Shows little care for serious matters and acts without thinking

is more general, covering playful silliness beyond handling serious matters

featherheaded

vsfeatherbrained

Offensive

8.1

Too silly and not careful about important things

is the same but slightly more playful or light in tone

lunkheaded

vsfeatherbrained

Offensive

9.8

Being very foolish and clumsy in how someone thinks or acts

stresses light frivolity and poor judgement rather than clumsiness

rattlebrained

vsfeatherbrained

Offensive

9.9

Not able to think clearly and often doing silly things

focuses more on playful silliness than mere disorganization

gooselike

vsfeatherbrained

Offensive

9.4

Silly and acting in a foolish, awkward way

leans more toward a light, frivolous lack of seriousness than stupidity

frivol

vsfeatherbrained

Archaic

7.8

Not serious and showing little concern for important things

focuses more narrowly on foolish judgement rather than low concern

Antonyms

serious

452 1.4

Calm and focused, not playful or joking

sensible

201 2.7

Showing good judgment and making practical choices

How Silly

silly

976 1.0

featherbrained

Offensive

8.3

playful

79 1.6

light-hearted

11 3.5

serious

629 3.2

Surface Forms

featherbrained positive

Morphology

featherbrained = featherbrain (semi-transparent) = feather + brain + ed

Formed from 'feather' + 'brain' (a figurative compound meaning a foolish person) with the adjectival suffix '-ed', so the components are clear but the meaning is metaphorical.

Etymology

Featherbrained joins feather, meaning 'very light', and brain, meaning 'mind', imagining a mind as light as a feather. So a featherbrained person is thought to have a 'light' mind, which is why the word means silly or not serious.