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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of screwball
Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
What is Valentine’s Day without a fizzy screwball comedy?
—New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The best of all sports-movie subgenres, football films have given us great characters – real and fictional – and a bunch of awesome cinematic moments in everything from screwball comedies to real-life narratives.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for screwball
Adjective
Despite its screwball plot, this book will have you in a puddle of tears!
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
What is Valentine’s Day without a fizzy screwball comedy?
—New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Noun
What is Valentine’s Day without a fizzy screwball comedy?
—New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The best of all sports-movie subgenres, football films have given us great characters – real and fictional – and a bunch of awesome cinematic moments in everything from screwball comedies to real-life narratives.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for screwball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwball
Adjective
-
Menu references to ancient reptiles — plus the brand’s silly mascot, a dinosaur in a toque — make fast food feel more like fun food.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
16 Apr. 2026
-
What appears to be a bouncy, silly romp about a slightly surreal situation (Murray plays Phil, a weatherman reliving the same day over and over) is, at its core, actually quite deep.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The town’s overflowing with charming Midwest eccentrics, including a cocky mayor (Henry Winkler) and a welcoming barkeep (Lena Headey).—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Those crazy, diverse individuals, that tribe of oddballs and eccentrics, dreamers, and gamblers who make up this business.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But all jokes aside, that Howard Stern has not yet been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is, quite frankly, absurd.—
Malina Saval,
Rolling Stone,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Grief is absurd in the same way humor is absurd.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His instincts, toughness and football character are off the charts.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Thank God for the flair, because the characters are satirically tedious.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And then the second one is grassroots and bottom up and the local solutions to this thing that is a stupid business model.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Allowing one nine years of eligibility is just stupid.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Those crazy, diverse individuals, that tribe of oddballs and eccentrics, dreamers, and gamblers who make up this business.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The first of these—a cult favorite among writers, particularly youngish women writers—put Lemann on the map as a singular stylist, capable of crystalline insights into the miscreants and oddballs of the American South and great bursts of unrestrained sentiment.—
Brandy Jensen,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Don’t be afraid to look foolish in pursuit of bliss!—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2026
-
This could be the last straw for refiners foolish enough to remain here.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In an insane society, this is a project of years, not weeks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
-
If jurors do decide that Fahim was insane at the time of the killings, he would likely be sent to a state hospital for mental health treatment.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Screwball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwball. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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