as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
a crackpot scheme to get rich quick
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in eccentric
a person of odd or whimsical habits
everyone is tolerant of the town crackpot, a man who never hurt anyone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crackpot
Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
There’s also a subplot involving an elderly cancer patient, a pizza restaurant that doesn’t deliver outside of the city, and a crackpot scheme to move the city-limit sign down the highway so that Clara’s crush can get his grandpa’s favorite pie sent to their home.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crackpot
Adjective
The hyperactive news cycle demands everyone create some kind of schema for figuring out what’s going on, and our era is typified with crackpot right-wing conspiracies that fill that void.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
So like Janet Mills, crackpot fellow traveler Jared Golden was getting muscled… from the left.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
There’s also a subplot involving an elderly cancer patient, a pizza restaurant that doesn’t deliver outside of the city, and a crackpot scheme to move the city-limit sign down the highway so that Clara’s crush can get his grandpa’s favorite pie sent to their home.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crackpot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crackpot
Adjective
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The idea of giving that over to a robot seems foolish [and] boring.—
Melinda Newman,
Billboard,
26 Jan. 2026
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Black people cast and produced to look stupid and foolish as standard operating procedure.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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As with all art forms, the world of nails offers something for everyone, from the austere to the eccentric.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
20 Jan. 2026
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Also, Joan Cusack plays an infamous local eccentric, and a fictional pop star shows up!—
Mary Sollosi,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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What happens, though, when those excesses transcend the merely stupid, the merely unjust, to become existential?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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People who approve of ICE’s actions aren’t necessarily stupid or evil.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The two main female characters, Avril Incandenza and Joelle van Dyne, both happen to be gorgeous.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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They are balanced by just enough sweetness to offset the inherent salty character of the black beans, and infinitely complex.—
Chris Morocco,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Huw just waiting for him without involving the police or having really any plan whatsoever is just as silly.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Wain was joined by stars Ken Marino (who co-wrote the film), Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Sabrina Impacciatore, and Ben Wang to reminisce about making their unapologetically silly comedy.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This wacko crew was one of the greatest things in the history of television.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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His search takes him to a wacko cult in the desert run by a scamster, and that of course puts the sheriff in deadly danger.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
6 July 2025
Adjective
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And there’s Harrison Ford, which is insane.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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But that’s an indictment of our insane world, not Roher’s filmmaking.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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O’Hara worked consistently across her 50-year career in both film and television, best known for playing beloved kooks and amiable wackos, though her range was boundless.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
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Prizes will be available for participants in the categories of individual kook and group costume, judged by a panel composed of race partner Cardiff 101 Mainstreet.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crackpot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crackpot. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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