variants
or cockamamie
as in ridiculous
so foolish or pointless as to be worthy of scornful laughter
a cockamamy plan that could only have been dreamt up by a cartoonish mad scientist
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of cockamamy
Affleck directs and stars as Tony Mendez, a CIA exfiltration specialist who comes up with a cockamamie scheme to free a group of hostages hiding in the home of a Canadian diplomat.
—
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cockamamy
Adjective
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Kyle Tucker got a ridiculous four-year, $240 million deal from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but that’s not their fault.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
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Healey is clearly not a hunter and looks ridiculous trying to pretend to be one.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Shawn Hatosy is particularly feral here, injecting real menace into an otherwise absurd premise.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
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The deadpan one-liners exaggerating his strength, speed and toughness to absurd levels, turned Norris into one of the internet’s first global memes.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In retaliation, Afroman released several songs about the experience, made music videos using his security-cam footage, and generally was a silly goose about the whole thing.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
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This confident Yale Rep production follows Ionesco’s lead by being very clear about its point but relentlessly silly while making it.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Astin sinks into his pathetic character with full commitment, but the running gag about Ron getting more upset about the possibility of being banned from the fast-food restaurant than anything else is hammered so relentlessly that the character just seems mentally challenged.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Mar. 2026
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Of course, the notes turn out to mostly be about her as well as the principal (played by Gosling), detailing their most pathetic behaviors.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Your fast response and decisive actions prevented this foolish criminal act from endangering the rest of the county.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
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The limited series feels equally foolish, down to its last line of narration.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Of all the live-action shows made by Adult Swim, Three Busy Debras is the most cartoonish; its world is as elastic and stupid as any Chuck Jones Looney Tunes joint.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
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Anyone who says anything else is stupid or lying.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cockamamy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cockamamy. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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