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
-
For Jones, that means confronting her childhood fear of clowns.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025 -
In an operating room, a mad doctor performs plastic surgery to turn new recruits into killer clowns.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
For decades, sovereign citizens largely flew under the radar in Australia as relatively harmless eccentrics with a special interest in conspiracy theories.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Just one or two nuts can cover your daily needs.—
Morgan Pearson,
Verywell Health,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Spoon any topping and nuts in pan onto loaf.—
Katlyn Moncada,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Their characters range from alien birds discussing the optimal amount of stones in nests to Aztec warriors unaware of guns to bumbling, chess-playing professors.—
Book Marks
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Digging in deeper to the issue, Fleming said a major concern for Equity was the source of the original material used by the AI tool to create characters such as Tilly Norwood.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
2 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Zanies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zanies. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share