: one whose ideas or actions are eccentric, fantastic, or insane : screwball
Synonyms of kook
Examples of kook in a Sentence
a bunch of kooks dressed up in weird costumes
if you insist on painting your house bright orange, everyone will assume you are a kook
Recent Examples on the Web
Over the years, the term has come to have a slightly pejorative slant, signifying a marginal kook who never quite made it into leading-lady territory.
—
Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 2 Feb. 2026
O’Hara worked consistently across her 50-year career in both film and television, best known for playing beloved kooks and amiable wackos, though her range was boundless.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Prizes will be available for participants in the categories of individual kook and group costume, judged by a panel composed of race partner Cardiff 101 Mainstreet.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
What so many of these talking heads have in common—legitimate experts, well-meaning journalists, and kooks alike—is how costly their recommendations are.
—CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kook
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Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 2 Feb. 2026
O’Hara worked consistently across her 50-year career in both film and television, best known for playing beloved kooks and amiable wackos, though her range was boundless.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Prizes will be available for participants in the categories of individual kook and group costume, judged by a panel composed of race partner Cardiff 101 Mainstreet.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
What so many of these talking heads have in common—legitimate experts, well-meaning journalists, and kooks alike—is how costly their recommendations are.
—CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kook
Cite this Entry
“Kook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kook. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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