kook

noun

ˈkük How to pronounce kook (audio)
Definition of kooknext
as in eccentric
a person of odd or whimsical habits if you insist on painting your house bright orange, everyone will assume you are a kook

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of kook 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 What so many of these talking heads have in common—legitimate experts, well-meaning journalists, and kooks alike—is how costly their recommendations are. — CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026 The kooks of that age believed that Iran-Contra was only just an inkling of the secret government behind the scenes that was preparing to herd Americans into prison camps. — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 7 Oct. 2025 Not the crazy aunt/spell-casting kook who’s going to be film fans’ top Halloween costume this year. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for kook
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kook
  1. eccentric
  2. character
  3. crackpot
  4. wacko
  5. weirdo
  6. loon
  7. nutcase
  8. nutter
Noun
  • With its loose ends and digressions, Dream Me a Dream stays true to those idiosyncratic instincts while retaining enough of the welcoming glow of Dance of Love to make this an affecting farewell from an endearing eccentric.
    — Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 22 June 2026
  • The eccentric cuz is quick to try and help Bobby solve problems, which often gets him into trouble, but ultimately pushes him out of his shell.
    — Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 20 June 2026
Definition of eccentric
Noun
  • None of the characters has a convincing motivation for their actions or words.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 30 July 2026
  • Nolan has cited Wilson's translation in discussing his approach to the film, but Wilson says she was disappointed with the adaptation — and especially by Nolan's rendering of the central character.
    — Dave Davies, NPR, 29 July 2026
Definition of character
Noun
  • Get the angst out of the games, and the crackpots will move on to some other fashionable cause.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2026
  • Artists have always used music to question authority and expose the cracks (and the crackpots) in the American story.
    — Time, Time, 6 May 2026
Definition of crackpot
Noun
  • People who see ghosts tend to see the same ghost wafting down the same staircase, but none of the characters populating Leo’s wacko hallucinations have returned for a repeat perfor-mance.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
  • This wacko crew was one of the greatest things in the history of television.
    — Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Definition of wacko
Noun
  • Always Sunny has long boasted a fine roster of supporting weirdos orbiting the crew’s Paddy’s Pub HQ.
    — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026
  • But while Kozue is a genuine, unapologetic weirdo, the film that is constructed around her soon betrays a less imaginative, more normative impulse — so much so that this coming-of-age story ultimately leaves a bitter taste.
    — Elena Lazic, Variety, 25 July 2026
Definition of weirdo
Noun
  • This is sending shivers down the spines of regular Democrats, who now sheepishly admit the party has been turned over to the left-wing loons.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 27 June 2026
  • Keep an Eye Out For Wildlife More than 240 species of birds (including an abundance of loons), 14 species of reptiles and amphibians, 54 species of fish, and more than 50 species of mammals call Voyageurs home—at least for part of the year.
    — Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 18 June 2026
Definition of loon
Noun
  • Video testimony provided other repudiations of Eastman’s nutcase legal theory.
    — Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 17 June 2022
  • Ma Seok-do (Ma) is still with the Geumcheon Police Major Crimes Unit, arriving to help his fellow officers deal with a knife-wielding nutcase who’s taken hostages at a corner store.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 June 2022
Definition of nutcase
Noun
  • Whit’s Frozen Custard is known for its flavor of the day calendar, with rich custards running the decadent range from fluffer nutter cookie, carrot cake, and mint cookies ‘n cream to Biscoff cookie butter and banana nut bread.
    — Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 9 May 2026
  • Lloyd Hansen is his exit strategy, and this nutter will stop at nothing to snuff Six and steal the drive.
    — Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 July 2022
Definition of nutter

Browse Nearby Words

kolinsky
kook
kookiness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kook. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on kook

Nglish: Translation of kook for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of highfalutin

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All