screwball 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of screwballnext
as in silly
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment she's always off on some screwball plan

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

screwball

2 of 2

noun

ˈskrü-ˌbȯl How to pronounce screwball (audio)
as in eccentric
a person of odd or whimsical habits a screwball who liked to save lint and bits of string

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 screwball
Adjective
On the New Jersey artist’s debut album, a steady stream of screwball ideas coalesce into unexpectedly existential laptop twee gems. — Nick Ayres Demasi, Pitchfork, 1 July 2026 The alternately suspenseful and silly scene nicely sets up the tone for this new season, which is infused with references to classic Westerns as much as screwball comedies. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026
Noun
This is especially apparent in scenes with multiple characters speaking, recalling 1930s American screwball comedies with a dash of French realism. — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 19 May 2026 The screwball comedy is one of the great gifts that 1930s Hollywood gave us, but that genre didn’t win too many awards. — Jordan Hoffman, Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for screwball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwball
  1. silly
  2. eccentric
  3. stupid
  4. character
  5. absurd
  6. oddball
  7. foolish
  8. original
Adjective
  • With so many of its procedural plots echoing and sometimes directly referencing real-world events, Cupertino is more substantive and less inherently silly than Elsbeth.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Almost sounds silly now, with the way the team has stumbled and bumbled its way through the first four games.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of silly
Noun
  • The public reckonings with these figures’ legacies—the troubled former child star gone too soon, the beloved icon, the cult favorite, the complicated eccentric—have come in a cascade.
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Make sure to practice a full range of motion with these and emphasize the eccentric (the way down) part of the movement for maximal time under tension and muscle-building stimulus.
    — Jakob Roze, HEALTH, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of eccentric
Adjective
  • Parents who decline to vaccinate their children have been called selfish and stupid.
    — Nicholas Florko, STAT, 29 Sep. 2026
  • No one is evil, but people do stupid things, which accords with my own memories of college.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of stupid
Noun
  • The conversation and the word itself, which gives the seventh and final episode its title, unlocks the Biblical underpinnings and the complexities governing many of the main characters.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Still, the endeavor feels worth it for Pugh and Lee’s standout efforts, which etch their characters deep into one’s memory.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of character
Adjective
  • Ambitious mukbang-ers eager to prove their gastronomic stamina descended on Red Lobster locations across the country to consume absurd quantities of shrimp.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • When things get too absurd or heavy, a one liner pops in and Olesen knows how to do the set up, and then, the mic drop.
    — Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of absurd
Noun
  • Germany’s leading indie fest has long made a specialty of outsiders and oddballs — artists who arrived without pedigree, training programs or an obvious industry slot and built the career anyway.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Link shifts from a charming oddball as Whatsit to a sinister figure on the planet of Camazotz.
    — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of oddball
Adjective
  • Soaking the suburbs over parking is reminiscent of other foolish, revenue-grabbing ideas, such as a congestion tax aimed at outsiders as a way to gin up money to cover Chicago’s ever-present budget black hole.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • With Oracle having lost more than $20 billion in stock-market value today, this appears to be penny-wise and pound foolish.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of foolish
Noun
  • The original was super, super matte, and that just doesn’t work for my skin anymore.
    — Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Sirat producer Farré recently replaced José María Caro as originals chief.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of original

Browse Nearby Words

screw around
screwball
screwballs
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Cite this Entry

“Screwball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwball. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on screwball

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about screwball

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