1
as in clowns
a comically dressed performer (as at a circus) who entertains with playful tricks and ridiculous behavior
hired a zany to entertain the children at the birthday party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in eccentrics
a person of odd or whimsical habits
one of the challenges of hosting a radio call-in program is preventing the zanies from completely taking over the discussion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zanies
Noun
-
The four paintings are Joan Miró’s Composition (1953), Maurice Utrillo’s Maison de rendez-vous de chasse de Henri IV, rue Saint-Vincent, Montmartre (1934), Balthus’s Etude pour femme couchée (1948), and Pablo Picasso’s L’Ecuyere et les clowns (1961).—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
6 May 2026 -
Once completed, the $5 million acquisition will ensure the theater has a permanent home, a place where skateboarding clowns and leek-haired onions can continue to frolic and dance for decades to come.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But what the New Yorker writer left behind is some of the finest prose of the 20th century, focusing primarily on the eccentrics, scalawags, seamen, and other denizens of New York’s dank corners.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
2 May 2026
-
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
Noun
-
But for people who consume fewer calories, like Matthews’s mother, those calories and the protein in them are better off coming from whole foods—such as chicken, beans, nuts and vegetables.—
Bethany Brookshire,
Scientific American,
11 May 2026
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Pistachio nuts are also a favorite go-to snack.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
Noun
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Oh adds the notion of subsuming Asian-American characters into mainstream white storytelling, or leaving them out as too risky, is hopefully over.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
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Three amazing movie stars firing on all cylinders with great material and huge stakes for their characters in a beautiful setting.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
8 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Zanies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zanies. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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