white-headed

white-headed — adjective

1. said of a person whose hair on the head is white or very pale, or of an animal w

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

said of a person whose hair on the head is white or very pale, or of an animal whose head fur or feathers are a light color rather than dark.

Example

An old white-headed man sat on the bench, throwing breadcrumbs to the pigeons.

attributive use: white-headed + noun (person)

Erik spotted a white-headed eagle perched on a high branch near the lake.

Common collocations
  • white-headed man
  • white-headed woman
  • white-headed eagle
  • white-headed goat
  • white-headed cattle
  • white-headed child
  • white-headed breed
Synonyms
  • white-haired

    more common than 'white-headed' for people; 'white-haired' implies the whole head of hair is white, not just the top

  • grey-haired

    suggests a mixture of grey and white, not pure white; more neutral in tone

  • silver-haired

    poetic or complimentary tone; implies attractive, shiny white hair

  • hoary

    archaic or literary; refers to greyish-white hair of great age

Antonyms
  • dark-haired

    opposite: hair is brown or black rather than white

  • black-headed

    used technically for some animal species with dark heads

Grammar Patterns

be + white-headed

white-headed + noun

Usage Note

Commonly used to describe elderly people whose hair has turned white with age, and to identify animal breeds or species whose distinctive feature is a pale head.

2. old-fashioned — describes a person who is treated as a favorite by someone in au

2.adjectiveC2
Definition

old-fashioned — describes a person who is treated as a favorite by someone in authority or who seems to enjoy unusually good fortune.

Example

As the manager's white-headed boy, Hao was given the best office and the easiest projects.

fixed phrase: white-headed boy = favorite

The old nanny always called the youngest prince her white-headed child.

Common collocations
  • white-headed boy
  • white-headed girl
  • white-headed child
  • someone's white-headed boy
  • the white-headed one
Synonyms
  • favored

    more common and neutral; does not carry the archaic tone

  • fortunate

    broader meaning; suggests good luck rather than being someone's favorite

  • blessed

    stronger, may carry religious or emotional overtones

  • lucky

    everyday synonym for 'fortunate'; less formal

Antonyms
  • unlucky

    opposite of fortunate; common and neutral

  • cursed

    strong opposite; suggests misfortune is deliberate or supernatural

Grammar Patterns

be + white-headed

white-headed + boy/girl (idiomatic)

Usage Note

This sense is now largely restricted to the fixed phrase 'white-headed boy' (or less commonly 'white-headed girl/child'), meaning a person who is especially favored. The standalone adjective meaning 'fortunate' is very rare in modern English and sounds archaic.

Common Mistakes

She is a white-headed student in class' (meaning favorite).
She is the teacher's white-headed girl.
the phrase usually requires a possessive (someone's white-headed boy/girl) to sound natural.

Word family

  • whitehead
    nounC1
  • white-headedness
    nounC2
  • white
    adjectiveA1
  • headed
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These words all describe hair color, but differ in tone and specificity. 'White-headed' focuses on the head area and is also used for animals (a white-headed eagle). 'White-haired' is the everyday term for a person whose hair is fully white, often from age. 'Grey-haired' implies a mixture of grey and white, not pure white, and sounds neutral. 'Silver-haired' carries a complimentary, almost poetic tone — it suggests attractive, shiny white hair. 'Grizzled' is specifically used for hair that is grey-streaked, often on men, and can imply toughness or experience. 'Hoary' is literary and very old-fashioned, referring to the greyish-white hair of extreme age. For everyday conversation, 'white-haired' is the safest choice; for animal descriptions, 'white-headed' is standard.

white-haired ↗grey-haired ↗silver-hairedhoarygrizzled ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • white-headed boy
  • white-headed girl

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'white-headed' is a compound of 'white' (from Old English 'hwīt', meaning bright or colorless) and 'headed' (from 'head' + the suffix '-ed', meaning having a head). It has been used since at least the early 1500s. The literal sense (having a white head) has remained in continuous use. The figurative sense meaning 'favored' or 'fortunate' developed from the idiom 'white-headed boy', a term for a favorite child or protégé — perhaps from the image of a favored child whose hair stays untouched by hardship, retaining its fair color.

First known use

1525

1525, in the meaning defined at sense 1