zany

1 of 2

adjective

za·​ny ˈzā-nē How to pronounce zany (audio)
zanier; zaniest
1
: very eccentric (see eccentric entry 1 sense 1a) or absurd (see absurd entry 1 sense 1) often in an amusing way
a zany comedy
the movie's zany characters/antics/humor
another one of his zany ideas
2
archaic : being or having the characteristics of a zany
zanily adverb
zaniness noun

zany

2 of 2

noun

plural zanies
1
: a subordinate clown or acrobat in old comedies who mimics ludicrously the tricks of the principal : merry-andrew
2
archaic : a person who fawns over another person : a servile follower : toady
… must have known the falsehood of the slander which they encouraged their zanies to propagate.William Gifford
3
a
: one who acts the buffoon to amuse others
b
: nut, kook

Did you know?

The oddballs among us are likely familiar with zany as an adjective, meaning "eccentric." But did you know the word originated as a noun—one that has withstood the test of time? Zanies have been theatrical buffoons since the heyday of the Italian commedia dell’arte, in which a "zanni" was a stock servant character, often an intelligent and proud valet with abundant common sense and a love of practical jokes. Zanni comes from a dialect nickname for Giovanni, the Italian form of John. The character quickly spread throughout European theater circles, inspiring such familiar characters as Pierrot and Harlequin, and by the late 1500s an anglicized version of the noun zany was introduced to English. The adjective appeared within decades, and eventually both adopted more general meanings to refer to or describe those of us who are quipsters and weirdos.

Examples of zany in a Sentence

Adjective a zany plan to drive cross-country on a motorized scooter Noun hired a zany to entertain the children at the birthday party one of the challenges of hosting a radio call-in program is preventing the zanies from completely taking over the discussion
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
That's right, viewers will have an extra reason to be thankful on Thanksgiving this year, as the newest episode of the zany celeb singing show will air instead on Thursday night from 8-9 p.m. ET/PT. EW.com, 27 Nov. 2024 Watch on Deadline Three new crewmembers — an elderly farmer Kele (David Fane), a zany engineer Loto (Rose Matafeo) and, a scholarly scribe Moni (Hualālai Chung) — provide more room for humorous interactions, musical or otherwise. Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2024 Jim Abrahams, the writer-director who with brothers Jerry and David Zucker turned the comedy genre on its ear with such zany efforts as Airplane!, Police Squad! Chris Koseluk, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Nov. 2024 Along with Ryder and Keaton, original star Catherine O’Hara also returns in the zany supernatural follow-up. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for zany 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian zanni, a traditional masked clown, from Italian dialect Zanni, nickname for Italian Giovanni John

First Known Use

Adjective

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of zany was in 1596

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Dictionary Entries Near zany

Cite this Entry

“Zany.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zany. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

zany

1 of 2 noun
za·​ny ˈzā-nē How to pronounce zany (audio)
plural zanies
1
2
: a silly or foolish person

zany

2 of 2 adjective
zanier; zaniest
1
: being, typical of, or resembling a zany
2
: very odd or unusual often in an amusing way
a zany movie
zanily
ˈzā-nə-lē How to pronounce zany (audio)
ˈzān-ᵊl-ē
adverb
zaniness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on zany

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