feather-headed
Definition
- Adjective:
- Frivolous or lacking seriousness: "feather-headed" describes a person who is thoughtless, flighty, or not mentally substantial, often acting in a silly or foolish manner.
- Lacking intelligence: It can also imply a lack of mental depth or wisdom, akin to being empty-headed or scatterbrained.
Usage Examples
- (She is frivolous and lacks seriousness.)
- (His foolish or thoughtless comments were irritating.)
Advanced Usage
- "feather-headed decision": a choice made without careful thought.
- Buying that expensive car on a whim was a feather-headed decision. (It was a foolish, unwise choice.)
Variants and Related Words
- Feather-pated (adj): synonymous with feather-headed, meaning silly or frivolous.
- The feather-pated comedian kept the audience laughing with his nonsense. (He was silly and light-hearted.)
- Feather-brained (adj): having a very small brain; extremely foolish or unintelligent.
- Don't listen to his feather-brained ideas. (His ideas are foolish and lack substance.)
Synonyms
- Frivolous: not having any serious purpose or value.
- Silly: having or showing a lack of good sense or judgment.
- Scatterbrained: disorganized and unable to concentrate or think clearly.
- Empty-headed: lacking intelligence or sense.
Related Idioms
- A feather in one's cap: an achievement to be proud of (note: this is a different idiom, not directly synonymous with "feather-headed").
- Light as a feather: very light in weight (not directly related, but uses the same root word "feather").
Phrasal Verbs
- None directly associated with "feather-headed". The word is a compound adjective and does not form phrasal verbs.
Additional Notes
- The word "feather-headed" is somewhat archaic or informal and is rarely used in modern conversation. It is more likely to appear in literary or humorous contexts to describe a character's lack of intelligence or seriousness.