1
as in lunatic
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
only a ninny would try to cross a swollen, raging river
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in idiot
a stupid person
was such a ninny that he kept forgetting my name, even though I was wearing a name tag
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of ninny
Jane Austen wrote takedowns of this kind of ninny two centuries ago — how fun to see Pike update her twit to the post-Y2K era.
—
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Kopas, who wisely eschews hamming, makes Frank a spry, eloquent presence, although more dourness in the play’s initial scenes might help his character stand out from the salon’s cheerful ninnies.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 4 May 2023
Sure enough, the team at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, an organization that provides food to more than 700 pantries throughout the Chicago area, contacted me and said a conservative donor who thinks me quite the ninny had donated $10,000.
—Rex Huppke, chicagotribune.com, 16 Dec. 2021
Because some ninny has not read the user manual.
—Sarah Barker, Outside Online, 19 Mar. 2021
This part of a snow bath is: Yas ninny' bee táádigis bil ádi didiilchil dóó ádaah nidinííldah, or rub your face and body with snow and dust it off.
—Kiliii Yüyan, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2020
This Macbeth is something of a ninny, a lightweight who lounges on a throne that seems far too big for him.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 2 Nov. 2019
But the story goes that mall proponents had to overcome three tremendous obstacles: the Great Depression, World War II, and the city’s anti-growth ninnies.
—oregonlive.com, 1 Aug. 2019
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Kopas, who wisely eschews hamming, makes Frank a spry, eloquent presence, although more dourness in the play’s initial scenes might help his character stand out from the salon’s cheerful ninnies.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 4 May 2023
Sure enough, the team at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, an organization that provides food to more than 700 pantries throughout the Chicago area, contacted me and said a conservative donor who thinks me quite the ninny had donated $10,000.
—Rex Huppke, chicagotribune.com, 16 Dec. 2021
Because some ninny has not read the user manual.
—Sarah Barker, Outside Online, 19 Mar. 2021
This part of a snow bath is: Yas ninny' bee táádigis bil ádi didiilchil dóó ádaah nidinííldah, or rub your face and body with snow and dust it off.
—Kiliii Yüyan, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2020
This Macbeth is something of a ninny, a lightweight who lounges on a throne that seems far too big for him.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 2 Nov. 2019
But the story goes that mall proponents had to overcome three tremendous obstacles: the Great Depression, World War II, and the city’s anti-growth ninnies.
—oregonlive.com, 1 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ninny
Noun
-
So that episode will make fun [of] billionaire life-extension body-hacking lunatics.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Whether those people are sickened by grief and rage into a kind of temporary insanity, genuine lunatics, hustlers looking to milk a little more engagement or some combination of the three doesn’t really matter.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The documentary shows a video that was uploaded to TikTok of Valencia fans chanting at Vinicius Jr, with the transcription as ‘mono’ (monkey) rather than ‘tonto’ (fool).—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Don’t let its compact size fool you, though.—
Jordyn Burrell,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Only a moron would cut the funding of an industry that actually brings revenue into the government’s pocket.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Seth Rollins gassed Bron up by saying Jey Uso thinks his dad is a loser and his uncle is a moron.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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So, the parallel thing that I’ve been frustrated by recently is not just calling Trump stupid, but calling Trump voters stupid.—
Drew Broussard
May 22,
Literary Hub,
22 May 2025
-
Sometimes too stupid is actually smartski but sometimes is just stupid stupid.—
Caroline Downey,
National Review,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Of course, designer decanters, like one by DIOR shaped like a goose, sells for $550.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Marie realizes Danny was the roadblock, so why give up the goose?—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Benicio del Toro as Sergio Courtesy of Warner Bros. Penn plays Lockjaw as a tense, lumbering maniac with more than a few similarities to RFK Jr.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The Haunted Trail takes visitors outdoors through a path with dense fog and several haunting installations with zombies, a ghoul bus, a graveyard filled with ghosts, chainsaw maniacs and more.—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ninny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ninny. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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