as in absurd
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
Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 1 May 2025
The new Al Hajjaj film is a screwball comedy, following two feuding Saudi paramedics who stumble upon a briefcase containing Saudi Arabian Riyal 2 million ($533,300) and become unwittingly entangled in a high-stakes kidnapping and ransom plot.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 18 Apr. 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
There actually is something at stake for these women, which frees them up for a desperate kind of humor, in the vein of those plucky social climbers in a screwball comedy from an earlier era.
—Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 1 May 2025
The new Al Hajjaj film is a screwball comedy, following two feuding Saudi paramedics who stumble upon a briefcase containing Saudi Arabian Riyal 2 million ($533,300) and become unwittingly entangled in a high-stakes kidnapping and ransom plot.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for screwball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwball
Adjective
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The nutrient can indeed help with all of those, but sometimes, the claims turn absurd.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
20 June 2025
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The College World Series semifinals concluded Wednesday, allowing Houston Astros manager Joe Espada another chance to marvel at an absurd ascension.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Noun
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American eccentrics like Walters long have provided material for satirists across the pond.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2025
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There are dozens upon dozens of memorable eccentrics, delusional antiheroes, blustery authority figures, sad sacks, screw-ups and all-too-lovable schmucks that populate the 12 feature films and handful of shorts directed by Wes Anderson.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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Jeff: This has been such a silly way to seed the in-season tournament.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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With stores across the state at one point, Vine had opened his first in 1950 and went on to become well-known across the state by appearing in his own silly but catchy commercials, sometimes with his wife.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
20 June 2025
Noun
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The novella takes place over Christmas night, contained to the equivalent of a one-act play in the character Marie’s bleak apartment.—
Diana Arterian
June 20,
Literary Hub,
20 June 2025
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But perhaps not the character people expected, either.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Mexican men were dismissed as violent Panchos and stupid Pedros.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2025
-
There’s more stupid romance around harder substances but few chemicals are more hazardous to ambition than THC.—
Benjamin Hale
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
Noun
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The lone oddball counter-example was a wild-card Marlins squad that hired a 72-year-old manager at midseason, got hot behind a few stars (Ivan Rodriguez, Josh Beckett, Dontrelle Willis) and benefited from a historic Cubs meltdown to reach the Fall Classic.—
Neil Paine,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
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Where to watch: Max 'The Ballad of Wallis Island' The feel-good British dramedy stars Tom Basden as one half of a formerly famous folk duo hired by an oddball lottery winner (Tim Key) to play a private show on his remote Welsh island.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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Making a prediction for Game 7 is obviously foolish.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
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This seems foolish since the U.S. has some 25-30% of the world’s coal, which is even more than China.—
Jude Clemente,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Noun
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His Tron sequel arrived 28 years after the Disney original, which had revolutionized visual effects back in 1982 with its action-adventure set inside a video game.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
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Over the years, Caguioa has replaced the headgear on deer with real antlers and the originals mounted on moose with synthetic alternatives.—
Paul Nicolaus,
Smithsonian Magazine,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Screwball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwball. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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