as in silly
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
a zany plan to drive cross-country on a motorized scooter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in clown
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
2
as in eccentric
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of zany
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
Peter Cook and Billy Crystal add zany cameos, while Peter Falk shines as a grandfatherly storyteller.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
From a mental health angle, an ongoing concern has been that the AI might lie to someone about a mental health issue or perhaps generate a zany response due to encountering an AI hallucination.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
But there's a delightfully zany energy to Tim Burton's first superhero flick, which reimagines Gotham as a noirish playground of dark alleys and over-the-top parade floats.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zany
Adjective
The series will follow an over-confident teen penguin named Flip, who teams a zany bunch of young surfers in his attempt to become a surf legend.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
Peter Cook and Billy Crystal add zany cameos, while Peter Falk shines as a grandfatherly storyteller.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
From a mental health angle, an ongoing concern has been that the AI might lie to someone about a mental health issue or perhaps generate a zany response due to encountering an AI hallucination.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
But there's a delightfully zany energy to Tim Burton's first superhero flick, which reimagines Gotham as a noirish playground of dark alleys and over-the-top parade floats.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zany
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zany
Adjective
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The brazen, silly grandeur of the piece was astounding.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The Saturday Night Live alum's vast tattoo collection, at one point made up of around 200 pieces of body art, includes ink dedicated to his former girlfriends, as well as more silly, lighthearted designs.—
Nicholas Rice,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The sibling filmmaking duo spent most of the 2010s making a colossal two-part movie adaptation of King’s 1,138-page horror opus about a shapeshifting clown who terrorizes the small town of Derry, Maine.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
6 Nov. 2025
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The woman dressed as a spooky ringmaster while her husband played the part of a creepy clown.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 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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What gave me the crazy idea to stand at the bar, listening to that woman being praised for her stupid f---ing commitment to New York City and her ugly f---ing buildings?—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
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Her mechanism for luring victims involves a stick, someone’s hair, her blood, and another person stupid enough to let her through their front door.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Learn more about management options and which food plants are most susceptible to this insect in our harlequin bug on vegetables web page.—
Miri Talabac,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Apr. 2025
-
Pity the poor actor who has to co-star opposite a 150-pound harlequin Great Dane.—
Peter Rainer,
Christian Science Monitor,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Phillips croons about a mother’s bond with her child as Swinton walks off, her character freshly wrecked by a visit with her son in prison.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
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Most of your favorite characters, including Will, are returning, too — just not the same actors.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The combination of absurd temperatures, damp humidity, and having my hair stick to my neck daily was driving me insane.—
Kayla Greaves,
Essence,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Plus, who doesn’t love Nick Offerman sharing the screen with absurd facial hair?—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The shows share a preoccupation with the heroic potential of oddballs and burnouts, one that has kept Horses galloping for five seasons (and two more are in the works).—
Judy Berman,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
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While tonally jumbled and at times violently jarring, the movie delivers strange vibes and extremely strong performances from Jesse Plemons at his oddball finest and Emma Stone, who may or may not be from our planet.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Zany.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zany. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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