screwy

adjective

ˈskrü-ē 

screwier; screwiest

1

: very absurd, eccentric, or unusual

a screwy idea

screwy logic

screwy weather

Goldstein realized something was screwy when he went online the next day and looked at his [bank] accounts.

—David Lazarus

If you're like me, you're thinking, "No way. There's something screwy with that survey." It seems to defy conventional wisdom.

—Jeff Hawkes

2

: lacking reason or mental soundness

Human beings are a screwy bunch. We'll go to any length to fit an artificial idea of what we ought to be, even if it means confusing ourselves and everyone else in the bargain.

—Robert Kirby

screwiness noun

Synonyms

• bizarre
• weird
• strange
• funny
• odd
• erratic
• peculiar
• curious
• crazy
• remarkable

Examples of screwy in a Sentence

I knew something was screwy.

the counterfeit bills are poorly done and would look screwy to even the untrained eye

Recent Examples on the Web

California’s vote-counting is notorious for taking weeks to get results, but that’s a function of screwy deadlines rather than the mail-in balloting itself. —Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025

Meanwhile, the Big 12 remains as quirky and screwy as ever. —Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 Sep. 2025

Pricing for five or fewer devices is a little screwy. —PC Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025

In the screwy arithmetic of my mind, more time meant more aspiration. —Dan Leach july 3, Literary Hub, 3 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for screwy

• buoy
• chewy
• dewy
• gooey
• ennui

Kids Definition

screwy

adjective

ˈskrü-ē 

screwier; screwiest

1

: oddly different and unfamiliar

knew something was screwy

2

informal : lacking reason or mental soundness

completely screwy people

screwiness noun