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headlong

Adjective
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Falling or moving forward quickly and without caution; this adjective captures reckless abandon, often used in poetry to describe impetuous action, emotional rush, or a tumultuous descent, adding a sense of urgency.

Detailed Definition
Headlong means rushing or plunging forward in a reckless way, often with the head first. In older poetic usage it can describe a sudden, forceful movement, especially of water or a person.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The torrent ... did bring / Her headlong from her native spring” makes headlong mean rushing violently forward; “Headlong, the rain hurled itself down the roof” turns speed into personification; Milton’s fallen angels are cast “headlong” into chaos, linking the word to precipitous descent; A modern poem may say “headlong into love” for reckless momentum
Additional Notes
In "Her headlong from her native spring," the word is used in a vivid older sense that some readers may not know.; Found in the poem, To My Mistress Sitting by a River’s Side by Thomas Carew
Also Known As
headfirst recklessly hastily impulsively
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