Meanings
- figurativelyusuallyUsed to indicate that a person is distracted or disconnected from the present situation or reality in general.
Synonyms: cloud nine
- figurativelyusuallyUsed to indicate that a person has fantastic or impractical dreams.
She was also one of the few girls without her head in the clouds.
1994, Roy F. Baumeister, Sara R. Wotman, Breaking Hearts: The Two Sides of Unrequited Love, page 722 more examples
"Wife, I've a grave suspicion!" said Mahony, and took her by the chin. "While I've sat here with my head in the clouds, you've been worrying over ways and means, and over having such an unpractical old dreamer for a husband. Now, child, that won't do. I didn't marry to have my girl puzzling her little brains where her next day's dinner was to come from. Away with you, to your stitching! Things will be all right, trust to me."
1917, Henry Handel Richardson, chapter III, in Australia Felix, part IIINo one ever expected him to work; he would see his little sister stooping under the weight of the great milk-pails, and never think of helping her; he lived with his head in the clouds, but his father said, "Let him alone, he'll be a great man some day."
1860, “A Legend of the Aryan Race”, in Charles Dickens, editor, All the Year Round, volumes 3-4, page 211
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseUsed to indicate that a person is distracted or disconnected from the present situation or reality in general.
Translations
Finnish pää pilvissä, pää pilvissä
- pää pilvissähaving fantastic or impractical dreams
- pää pilvissädaydreaming
French être dans la lune, avoir la tête dans les nuages
- être dans la lunedaydreaming
- avoir la tête dans les nuagesdaydreaming
- être dans les nuagesdaydreaming
Hungarian fellegekben jár
- fellegekben járhaving fantastic or impractical dreams
Italian avere la testa tra le nuvole
- avere la testa tra le nuvolehaving fantastic or impractical dreams
Malay angan-angan Mat Jenin
- angan-angan Mat Jeninhaving fantastic or impractical dreams
Polish z głową w chmurach, z głową w chmurach
- z głową w chmurachhaving fantastic or impractical dreams
- z głową w chmurachdaydreaming
Portuguese cabeça nas nuvens, cabeça na lua
- cabeça nas nuvenshaving fantastic or impractical dreams
- cabeça na luahaving fantastic or impractical dreams
Romanian cu capul în nori
- cu capul în norihaving fantastic or impractical dreams
Russian вита́ть в облака́х, вита́ть в облака́х
- вита́ть в облака́х (vitátʹ v oblakáx)having fantastic or impractical dreams
- вита́ть в облака́х (vitátʹ v oblakáx)daydreaming
Spanish en Babia
- en Babiadaydreaming
Swedish huvudet i molnen
- huvudet i molnenhaving fantastic or impractical dreams
Ukrainian витати в хмарах, літати в хмарах
- витати в хмарах, літати в хмарах (vytaty v khmarakh, litaty v khmarakh)having fantastic or impractical dreams
Cite this entry
head in the clouds. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/head%20in%20the%20clouds
“head in the clouds.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/head%20in%20the%20clouds. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “head in the clouds,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/head%20in%20the%20clouds.
Source: head in the clouds on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.