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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palookas
Noun
-
The question becomes whether the Blues want to bring in a reinforcement now or let their recent high draft picks take their lumps.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
26 May 2026 -
This fermentation process separates the milk into curds (the thicker lumps of cheese) and whey (the liquid portion).—
Sarah Bence,
Verywell Health,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
The Trojans didn’t just climb out of the losers’ bracket.—
Jose de Jesus Ortiz,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
The Mercury will look to stop a six-game losing streak against the Storm, losers of three straight.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Fast forward two years, and they are now presented as villains in a way no other team has since the late 1990s Yankees teams.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
-
Simon was more interested in sociological dynamics about what makes a city tick than traditional heroes or villains, creating a complex portrait of humanity at its best and worst.—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
There are complicated brain-chemistry factors involved that have to do with testosterone, and dopaminergic systems, and kappa-opioid receptors, all of which seem to add up to a Jim Gaffigan joke about how men are morons compared with their wives.—
McKay Coppins,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The Dilbert principle — traced back to a quote in a 1995 strip — posited that managers and higher-ups are actually successful morons whose stubbornness is confused for real leadership qualities.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This is different from the pastime counterfactuals enjoyed after the fact by barfly drunks and social media idiots.—
Kyle Wagner,
New York Daily News,
3 June 2026
-
Kids, let’s face it, are idiots by nature, and that’s not their fault.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
Not that hard to leave the little mutts at home for the grocery store trip.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
-
For starters, there are the cost savings of getting one of these not-so-in-demand mutts.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Grotesque sea hags, killer clowns, demonic self-help books and more plague the town and its mayor, Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys).—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2026
-
The four paintings are Joan Miró’s Composition (1953), Maurice Utrillo’s Maison de rendez-vous de chasse de Henri IV, rue Saint-Vincent, Montmartre (1934), Balthus’s Etude pour femme couchée (1948), and Pablo Picasso’s L’Ecuyere et les clowns (1961).—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Around ponds, frogs and toads will be eaten, and when worms emerge after rainfall, skunks will eagerly feed on those.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2026
-
Things start with dead skunks in a pool and only get (far, far) worse from there.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Palookas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palookas. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
