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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of screwball
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
Each performance arrives with a sense of reinvention — not unlike Hepburn, whose leap from screwball comedies in the 1930s to searing dramas in the 1960s charted an artistic evolution rarely equaled in Hollywood.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 30 Aug. 2025
Todd Harmonson, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
The delivery sequences are almost Sean Baker-esque in their depictions of the ways that poverty can turn the simplest of errands into a screwball comedy when everything seems to go wrong for you at every minute of the day.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for screwball
Adjective
Just think of the gridiron characters who've hit the big screen over the years, giving us awesome cinematic moments in everything from screwball comedies to rousing biopics.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
Each performance arrives with a sense of reinvention — not unlike Hepburn, whose leap from screwball comedies in the 1930s to searing dramas in the 1960s charted an artistic evolution rarely equaled in Hollywood.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 30 Aug. 2025
Noun
The fortunate among us, however, graduated from shots to sips and learned that agave plants in the hands of a master tequilero or mezcalero lead to Mexican treasures as unassailable as Fernando Valenzuela’s screwball.
—Todd Harmonson, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
The delivery sequences are almost Sean Baker-esque in their depictions of the ways that poverty can turn the simplest of errands into a screwball comedy when everything seems to go wrong for you at every minute of the day.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for screwball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwball
Adjective
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The film’s ever-so-slightly absurd sincerity is nothing if not brazen.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
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Conceptions of world geography at the time were faulty to an almost absurd extent, Bergreen said.—
Lee Habeeb,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Appealing to consumers searching for a piece of history, the store has gained a following of visitors hunting for unique souvenirs, designers on inspiration trips and local eccentrics.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
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For Mimi Pond, the desire to do a book about the Mitford sisters – six larger-than-life British eccentrics (and one brother) who created a stir in both British and American culture – was obvious.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Go through a corn maze, sip on apple cider, and take silly pictures with the cardboard cutouts.—
Kylie Petty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Oct. 2025
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This separation keeps parents' Discover Weekly and Wrapped playlists clean from unexpected surprises like a sudden obsession with gaming soundtracks or silly meme songs.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In books and movies, though, versions of amnesia lurk everywhere … Amnesiacs might not much exist, but amnesiac characters stumble everywhere through comic books, movies, and our dreams.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Oct. 2025
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Other new characters joining the mix are Malcolm’s girlfriend, Tristan (Kiana Madeira) and his daughter, Leah (Keeley Karsten).—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And that’s a stupid, dumb, mindless question.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
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Dessert Week is the stupidest week, at least conceptually.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Keaton continued to play oddballs with a peculiar way of talking, though none were trivial or stupid.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
12 Oct. 2025
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Sometimes explaining one’s affinity for a specific Pokémon is difficult; since Satoshi Tajiri has been dreaming up these pet-warrior-oddballs, many have historically had a certain je ne sais quoi.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The offer valued Alchemize at $2 million, well below Nazareth’s goal, but investor Daymond John suggested the founder would be foolish to walk away from a chance to partner with three Sharks.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.,
CNBC,
24 Oct. 2025
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Ellis advises parents that even if teens make a few purchases that seem frivolous or foolish, instilling good financial habits is what’s most important.—
Yolande Clark-Jackson,
Parents,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The 2022 Sequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre Set in the modern day, this 2022 Netflix movie is (another) direct sequel to the original, ignoring every film that comes between.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
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But sometimes its just great to come back to the original.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Screwball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwball. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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