noun

headspace

HED-spayss

Headspace (noun) means a person's mental or emotional state, especially their capacity to cope with something at a particular moment. Example: “I'm not in the right headspace to talk about this tonight.”

noun

informal A person's mental or emotional state, especially their capacity to cope with something at a particular moment.

"I'm not in the right headspace to talk about this tonight."

"Quitting the job gave her the headspace to write again."

The empty space left above a substance inside a sealed container, such as the gap between wine and the cork.

"Leave about two centimetres of headspace before sealing the jars."

The vertical clearance above something, such as the room above your head in a loft or vehicle.

"There isn't enough headspace in the attic to stand upright."

How to Use Headspace

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishHow your mind is doing, or how much room your mind has.

When to use it

The mental sense is informal but extremely common in everyday speech, therapy and wellbeing writing. The container and clearance senses are technical and neutral.

Memory tip

Usually uncountable in the mental sense: say some headspace, not a headspace.

Common pairings

in a good headspace the right headspace clear some headspace give me headspace

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

I'm not in the right _____ to talk about this tonight.

Synonyms

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frame of mind state of mind mindset mental space headroom clearance

Related Words

attitude permission mood psychology disposal clearance evacuation mentality

Rhymes for headspace

ace face race pace mace lace Jace peace space trace grace place

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to be in a bad headspace?

It means your mental state is low or unsettled — anxious, distracted, low in mood or overwhelmed — rather than that anything specific has happened. People use it to signal that they are struggling to think clearly or cope, without going into detail.

What is the difference between headspace and headroom?

Headroom is almost always physical: the clearance above your head, or spare capacity in a budget or an audio signal. Headspace covers that physical sense too but is far more often used for mental state, which headroom never is.

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