headless
5
6.8
- adjective
- /ˈhɛd.ləs/
- Offensive
:
descerebrado
- With no clear plan, the team acted like headless chickens, wasting time instead of focusing on their tasks.
- headless chickens
- headless man
Examples
-
During the emergency, the staff were running around like headless chickens, unsure of what to do next.
-
Stop running around like a headless chicken.
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Our lot were like headless chickens.
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Everyone else ran around like headless chickens.
Blog text (7) -
Yeah, well, if you keep your cool and don't run around like a headless chicken...
-
Okay, Fenton, I told myself, 'Stop acting like a headless chicken, and think.'
Blog text (16) -
The cops race about like headless chickens, trying to concoct a plan.
Fiction book (1992) -
OMG, it makes sense. OMFG, it's obvious, but all of you seem to instead be running around like headless chickens.
Blog text (4) -
For someone who's always been the personification of quick-wittedness and indefectible judgment, you're suddenly making decisions - with all the cunning of a headless chicken.
-
After losing the instructions, we moved about the office like headless chickens, trying to find what we needed.
Synonyms
39
4.1
Not thinking or paying attention before acting
24
3.5
Very stupid and not using common sense
4
7.5
Being without clear direction or a leader
3
6.3
Silly, not very intelligent and not serious
1
8.3
Not able to think clearly or make good decisions
Antonyms
How Rational
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Headless comes from head + -less, where -less means 'without', so a helpful way to remember the figurative use is to imagine someone 'without a head' to think with; that is why it describes actions done without thought or clear direction.