zany

noun za·ny \ ˈzā-nē \

Definition of zany

plural zanies

1 :a subordinate clown or acrobat in old comedies who mimics ludicrously the tricks of the principal :merry-andrew

2 :a slavish follower :toady

3 a :one who acts the buffoon to amuse others

b :nut, kook

See zany defined for kids

zany was our Word of the Day on 01/20/2014. Hear the podcast!

Examples of zany in a Sentence

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 of zany from the Web

His zany, foul-mouthed Mayor Adam West first appeared during the second season of the hit Fox show and has been recurring ever since.

— los angeles times staff, latimes.com, "A Star Is Born: Natalie Portman turns 36 today," 9 June 2017
The argument continued as the group decided to go to a comedy club in Nashville called Zanies instead of the restaurant.

— kevin spain, USA TODAY, "Panthers' Michael Oher cited for assaulting Uber driver in Nashville," 4 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'zany.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Zanies have been theatrical buffoons since the heyday of the Italian commedia dell’arte, which introduced those knavish clowns. The Italian zanni was a stock servant character, often an intelligent and proud valet with abundant common sense, a love of practical jokes, and a tendency to be quarrelsome, cowardly, envious, vindictive, and treacherous. Zanni, the Italian name for the character, 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-speaking audiences by no less a playwright than William Shakespeare (in Loveas Labouras Lost).

Origin and Etymology of zany

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1588

See Words from the same year

zany Synonyms

Synonyms

buffo, buffoon, harlequin, clown

Related Words

cutup, madcap; antic [archaic], fool, gracioso, jester, motley, scaramouch (or scaramouche); mime, mimic, mummer, pantaloon; comedian, comedienne, comic, droll, farceur, funnyman, gagger, gagman, gagster, humorist, joker, jokester, merry-andrew, second banana, stand-up, top banana, wag, wit

Near Antonyms

conformer, conformist, follower, sheep

Other Performing Arts Terms

diva, dramaturgy, loge, prestidigitation, proscenium, supernumerary

zany

adjective

Definition of zany

zanier; zaniest

1 :being or having the characteristics of a zany

2 :fantastically or absurdly ludicrous

a zany movie

—

zanily

play \ˈzā-nə-lē\ adverb

—

zaniness

play \ˈzā-nē-nəs\ noun

See zany defined for English-language learners

Examples of zany in a Sentence

a zany plan to drive cross-country on a motorized scooter

Recent Examples of zany from the Web

The ’stache can still be seen in basically every scene, and simply adds to the character’s zany absurdity.

— laura bradley, HWD, "Can TV’s New Favorite Producers Save Warner Bros.’ Most Maligned Franchise?," 24 Aug. 2017
One is to point to the shoddy medical reports that Trump has turned in from his zany doctor, Harold Bornstein.

— aaron blake, Washington Post, "Questions about Trump’s mental health are spilling into the open. Let’s be careful.," 23 Aug. 2017
AKA, Liza is bound to fess up to everyone, including her zany boss Diana Trout.

— sara tardiff, ELLE Decor, "Exclusive Tour: 'Younger' Star Miriam Shor Shows Us Inside Diana Trout's Apartment," 24 July 2017
The show followed the mildly zany adventures of Sister Bertrille, née Elsie Ethrington, and her friends at the Convent San Tanco in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

— samantha drake, Country Living, "Why Sally Field Hated Being in The Flying Nun," 20 July 2017
On the surface, Rick and Morty is a zany science fiction cartoon that often walks the line between hilarity and darkness.

— lisa eadicicco, Time, "Dan Harmon on the Future of Rick and Morty and That Community Movie," 19 July 2017
But unlike his previous horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead, or the zany action flick Hot Fuzz, Baby Driver isn’t a mash-up that takes one genre and mixes in self-referential laughs to tell a story about Gen Xers struggling to grow up.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Baby Driver Is a Rare Heist Movie with a Heart," 4 July 2017
Come for the zany fashion, stay for Alison Brie’s soulful Audrey Hepburn impression.

— laura bradley, HWD, "7 Perfect TV Binges to Keep You Busy All Summer Long," 29 June 2017
Adding to the fun are some zany characters such as Kalika Rose as the young actor's girlfriend and Zoe Sjogerman in an entertaining turn as a New York real estate agent whose hobby is hosting seances.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "Dunes Summer Theatre gets new life; reader defends 'Catwoman'," 27 June 2017

First Known Use of zany

1609

zany Synonyms

Synonyms

absurd, asinine, balmy, brainless, bubbleheaded, cockeyed, crackpot, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, fatuous, featherheaded, fool, half-baked, harebrained, half-witted, inept, insane, jerky, kooky (also kookie), loony (also looney), lunatic, lunkheaded, mad, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, senseless, silly, simpleminded, stupid, tomfool, unwise, wacky (also whacky), weak-minded, witless, foolish

Antonyms

judicious, prudent, sagacious, sage, sane, sapient, sensible, sound, wise

Related Words

airheaded, birdbrained, boobish, brain-dead, chowderheaded, chuckleheaded, clueless, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey (also dopy), dorky [slang], dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, fatuous, feebleminded, gormless [chiefly British], idiotic (also idiotical), imbecile (or imbecilic), knuckleheaded, lamebrain (or lamebrained), mindless, moronic, oafish, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded, thoughtless, thick, thickheaded, unintelligent, vacuous, witless; fallacious, illogical, invalid, irrational, nonrational, surd, unreasonable, unreasoning, unsound, weak; farcical, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous; notional; buffoonish, clownish; ill-advised, unconsidered, unreasoned

Near Antonyms

brainy, bright, clever, intelligent, smart; logical, rational, reasonable, valid; well-advised

Other Performing Arts Terms

diva, dramaturgy, loge, prestidigitation, proscenium, supernumerary, zany

ZANY Defined for English Language Learners

zany

adjective

Definition of zany for English Language Learners

: very strange and silly

ZANY Defined for Kids

zany

adjective za·ny \ ˈzā-nē \

Definition of zany for Students

zanier; zaniest

:very strange and silly

a zany plan

Learn More about zany

See words that rhyme with zany Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for zany Spanish Central: Translation of zany Nglish: Translation of zany for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up zany? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

zany

Definition of zany

Explore M-W

zany was our Word of the Day on 01/20/2014. Hear the podcast!

Examples of zany in a Sentence

Recent Examples of zany from the Web

Did You Know?

Origin and Etymology of zany

zany Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Performing Arts Terms

zany

Definition of zany

zanily

zaniness

Examples of zany in a Sentence

Recent Examples of zany from the Web

First Known Use of zany

zany Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Performing Arts Terms

ZANY Defined for English Language Learners

zany

Definition of zany for English Language Learners

ZANY Defined for Kids

zany

Definition of zany for Students

Learn More about zany

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'Spox' May Go On The Record

Trending: New Joe Ide Novel Causes 'Righteous' Spike

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Forms of Government Quiz

Words of the Year: 1066