as in silly
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
she's always off on some screwball plan
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in eccentric
a person of odd or whimsical habits
a screwball who liked to save lint and bits of string
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of screwball
A.a. Dowd, Chron, 12 May 2023
Each event becomes screwball one-act with different chaos ensembles.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2023
New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Wayne Wang Stars: Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes This millennial video-store staple may not boast the sterling wit of the screwball classics that begat it, but it’s got two important things going in its favor.
—Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for screwball
Adjective
Here, Johnson applies a screwball procedural framework to a true story of tech-world boom and bust, building his movie on a clash of values and personalities.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 12 May 2023
Each event becomes screwball one-act with different chaos ensembles.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2023
Noun
Zink, who has lived in and around that city for many years, catalogs the ghosts that haunt it with a voice that is cool and fastidious and possessed of a screwball comic sensibility rooted in pain.
—New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Wayne Wang Stars: Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes This millennial video-store staple may not boast the sterling wit of the screwball classics that begat it, but it’s got two important things going in its favor.
—Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for screwball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwball
Adjective
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Using the Graham Norton hologram to tell us that the Earth was turned to ash on May 24th, 2025 is just the right kind of silly for this show.—
Ryan Woodrow,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 May 2025
-
Eurovision is still too much of a silly spectacle for some, even with JJ in it.—
Alex Marshall,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Noun
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But the settlers’ belief in the value of public goods and embrace of independent thinkers remain woven into the character of the city, which continues to attract artists, eccentrics and writers.—
Isabelle Taft,
New York Times,
4 May 2025
-
Robert Redford delivers folksy wisdom as a local eccentric who once had his own dragon encounter, and even Karl Urban’s greedy logger is more of a nuisance than an outright villain.—
Josh Bell,
Vulture,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The biggest change, however, has been in fly ball frequency - his fly ball rate is now an absurd 50.0%, higher than any 2024 MLB regular.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
-
What else can be said about Judge’s absurd start to this season?—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Noun
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Series regular Tony Todd, who died last fall, returns for a touching posthumous scene that references another fan favorite character.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
-
Each still type creates a rum with a distinct character.—
Mark Littler,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Not just on the training pitch but in the dorm rooms, talking about the future and giggling at stupid jokes.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
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President Donald Trump said only stupid people would refuse a $400 million gift.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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And this is not a story of corporate greed run amok, because Walmart would be foolish to try to gouge its customers at a time when economic anxiety is high (more on that in a moment).—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
16 May 2025
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Peters said the training from Wayne State's Institute of Gerontology has helped credit union employees to better frame probing questions that will get a positive response without making members feel foolish.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Tauruses will go crazy for something chic, functional, and soft to the touch.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
9 Feb. 2023
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Before getting into the chaos of episode 5, that episode 4 cliff hanger was crazy.—
Calie Schepp,
EW.com,
6 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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Shinwell takes the rep aside and asks her to grab some of the antidote to the sickness that pushed Stephens into a coma, because the mad scientist must have some lying around.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
11 May 2025
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The late 19th century was a boom time for mad inventors, scam artists, and fast-talking salesmen.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Screwball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwball. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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