William Gifford
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
Brianne Tracy, People.com, 24 June 2025
In the latest Shondaland/Netflix team-up comes a zany murder mystery helmed by Paul William Davies, who serves as creator, showrunner, writer and executive producer.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 23 June 2025
On their own or on the rocks, this trio of surprising amari—perhaps more like the zany stepchild of amaro and vermouth—is on track to be foundational to my warm-weather drinking routine.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 June 2025
Spent is a welcome return to the bickering polyphony of Dykes to Watch Out For, with each member of the ensemble acting as a zany spokeswoman for one of Bechdel’s many conflicting views.
—Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for zany
Cite this Entry
“Zany.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zany. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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zany
2 of 2 adjective
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