loony

adjective

loo·​ny ˈlü-nē How to pronounce loony (audio)
variants or less commonly looney
loonier; looniest
looniness noun
loony noun
plural loonies

Examples of loony in a Sentence

Every family includes someone who's a little loony. that's got to be the looniest idea I've ever heard
Recent Examples on the Web As an impressionist, Carvey's style was more, well, impressionist — his gabbling, discursive George H.W. Bush spinning out further and further while remaining resolutely tethered to some measure of loony reality. Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2023 These people believe the world is full of bad information — biased news, out-of-touch punditry, loony conspiracy theories. Kevin Roose, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2023 One was prepared to look past Rodgers’s loony anti-vax views, his U.F.O. hysterias—and for that matter past the Jets owner Woody Johnson’s Trumpite leanings—in preparation for this season of hope, and then . . Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2023 Accompanied by their parents, these hypernerdy whiz kids are rousingly welcomed by the event’s emcee, a five-star general played impeccably by Jeffrey Wright, whose rigorous diction is the loony height of military officialese. Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 June 2023 The first commercial space shuttle sends loony Ted and his former girlfriend on a trip to the moon. Ed Stockly, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2021 And a seriously long staircase with a loony payoff leading to the Sacré Coeur Basilica at dawn. Jen Yamato, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2023 Then there’s the loony cake. Vulture, 10 Apr. 2023 The emotional stakes are lessened a bit by the loony tone. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'loony.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

by shortening & alteration from lunatic

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of loony was in 1841

Dictionary Entries Near loony

Cite this Entry

“Loony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loony. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

loony

adjective
loo·​ny
variants also looney
loonier; looniest
looniness noun
loony noun
Etymology

an altered form of lunatic (adjective)

More from Merriam-Webster on loony

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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