as in hulks
a big clumsy often slow-witted person
I wish he wouldn't bring over here that bunch of palookas he calls his friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palookas
Noun
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Lined up next to rookie left tackle Josh Simmons and veteran center Creed Humphrey, Suamataia took some lumps in the first two preseason games before settling in for a clean sheet in the third look against the Bears.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2026 -
Learning how to tell if a cheesecake is properly baked or how to mix the batter free of lumps, are lifetime skills that will prove useful in the future.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The full order for picks 19-32 will be decided by playoff results — teams eliminated in the wild-card round will be placed into slots 19-24; divisional-round losers will hold picks 25-28, and so on.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
11 Jan. 2026
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Dominic Tierney is an expert on losers—in the best possible way.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Sorkin finds no heroes but also no villains.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
11 Jan. 2026
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There’s also a massive leg lumbering in the distance which could be a Sentinel, the gigantic, mutant-hunting robots that are some of X-Men’s most iconic villains.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Overwhelmingly, though, the most common response was to seek confirmation of their suspicions that Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were morons.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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There are worse things than watching Black, Rudd, and Zahn play three gormless morons on a mid-life misadventure, but almost every scene and setpiece is constructed with a haphazardness that blunders away their charm.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Can't believe that after 10 years of us basing our most damning investigations on cell phone data, these idiots are still doing it.—
Sam Stevenson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Nov. 2025
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That's the deterrent for the idiots.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Two dogs came into the living room to inspect the uproar, mutts from the reservation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
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Now, researchers at Switzerland's ETH Zurich are putting these mechanical mutts through their paces on the badminton court, teaching them to play about as well as a seven-year-old human.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Six Flags Magic Mountain will fill the summer, fall and winter seasons in 2026 with an entertaining mix of Superman and Harley Quinn, Oktoberfest beers and Bavarian pretzels, killer clowns and blood curdling screams and Santa Claus and faux snow.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
31 Dec. 2025
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There are articles about Frank Sinatra and Michael Jordan, royals and rock stars, cowboys and clowns.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
18 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Thiols are responsible for the distinctive aromas of skunk spray and ripe durian; they’re also added to natural gas to provide a detectable rotten-egg smell at even trace levels.—
Nicola Twilley,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
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Some owls will hunt the wildlife that raids our garbage cans, like skunks and opossums.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
2 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Palookas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palookas. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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