Headlong was born out of the Middle English word hedling, a combination of hed ("head") and -ling, an adverb suffix meaning "in such a direction or manner." Thus, hedling meant "with the head first”; it was originally applied to descriptions of falling, or to downward movement. Likely due to the influence of the words along and long, -ling came to be understood as a variant of the adverb suffix -long, a development that carried headlong, as well as sidelong, along with it.
precipitate stresses lack of due deliberation and implies prematureness of action.
the army's precipitate withdrawal
headlong stresses rashness and lack of forethought.
a headlong flight from arrest
abrupt stresses curtness and a lack of warning or ceremony.
an abrupt refusal
impetuous stresses extreme impatience or impulsiveness.
an impetuous lover proposing marriage
sudden stresses unexpectedness and sharpness or violence of action.
flew into a sudden rage
Example Sentences
Adverb I dove headlong to the floor. plunged headlong into the crowd in pursuit of the purse snatcher Adjective terrified forest creatures in a headlong retreat from the rapidly spreading fire
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
After her first year at Radcliffe, Sears dove headlong into the sciences, taking four botany courses and four zoology courses as well as Greek and German. Catherine Musemeche, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2022 While Saul runs headlong from any shot at redemption, Kim confesses to her crimes and sets the record straight about Howard. Erik Kain, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2022 Artists such as Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney have been using dynamic pricing for years, but this was the first time music’s most controversial ticketing practice had run headlong into its most ferocious fan base. Allison Stewart, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Aug. 2022 And apparently that stigma exists even if that person is willing to run headlong into a fire when virtually nobody else wants to. W. Kamau Bell, CNN, 28 July 2022 That permissiveness among pastors was about to run headlong into a cultural rebellion against the liberal social movements of the 1960s.Anchorage Daily News, 8 May 2022 That permissiveness among pastors was about to run headlong into a cultural rebellion against the liberal social movements of the 1960s.Anchorage Daily News, 8 May 2022 My housing search pitched me headlong into a frenzied and undignified reality.New York Times, 1 June 2022 But while there is an abundance of opportunity, there are just as many pitfalls awaiting the brand brazen enough to plunge headlong into filmmaking without putting the proper pieces in place.Forbes, 21 Apr. 2022
Adjective
The book could delve further into the strategic consequences of China's headlong embrace of surveillance technologies. Steven Feldstein, The Courier-Journal, 14 Sep. 2022 This novel, a headlong rush of narrative, introduces Aviva Rosner, a thirty-something musician who desperately wants to have a baby. Clea Simon, BostonGlobe.com, 14 July 2022 Its judgments are mostly sound, but for all its heft there’s something headlong about it. Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022 Although Spotify is not by any definition part of news media, its headlong pursuit of podcasts raises issues music (usually) does not.Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2022 Cutting-edge science is littered with monuments to hubris, impatience, and headlong speed by researchers intent on changing the world. Stephen S. Hall, Wired, 11 Mar. 2021 Blue Jays center fielder George Springer made the defensive play of the game in the fifth, racing back to the edge of the warning track and ending the inning with a headlong, diving catch of Kevin Plaewcki’s drive. Ian Harrison, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2022 And that raises the question of exactly how they — and, for that matter, the other headlong advances of A.I. — should be unleashed on the world.New York Times, 12 Apr. 2022 The tone of the Tenth Symphony is set in a huge, meandering opening movement, which acquires at times a hurtling headlong energy. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Adverb
Middle English hedlong, alteration of hedling, from hed head