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
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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
David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2025
But over the last few years, it’s returned as chefs and bakers embrace its zany drama.
—Mehr Singh, Vogue, 31 July 2025
That same door also leads to a horrifying dimension full of giant skulls with spider legs, so expect a few zany destinations to show up too.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 29 July 2025
This zany juxtaposition is bolstered with narrative flashbacks from Archie, Betty, Veronica, and the rest of the gang vis-a-vis their most iconic looks since the comic was founded in 1939...
—Tiffany Leigh, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for zany
Adjective
Everyone plays it reliably straight, a contrast that helps the film maintain its zany energy—and, in the spirit of the original trilogy, maximize the number of jokes per minute.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2025
But over the last few years, it’s returned as chefs and bakers embrace its zany drama.
—Mehr Singh, Vogue, 31 July 2025
That same door also leads to a horrifying dimension full of giant skulls with spider legs, so expect a few zany destinations to show up too.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 29 July 2025
This zany juxtaposition is bolstered with narrative flashbacks from Archie, Betty, Veronica, and the rest of the gang vis-a-vis their most iconic looks since the comic was founded in 1939...
—Tiffany Leigh, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for zany
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zany
Adjective
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Mea Culpa is Perry at his most knowingly silly, and a throwback to erotic thrillers of decades past.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Sep. 2025
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For every community of mass-shooter fandoms, there is another that is silly, joyous, productive, or totally harmless.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Nothing sends chills down your spine like evil clowns, undead monsters and a filthy car.—
Charlie Vargas,
Oc Register,
12 Sep. 2025
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Someone should be impeaching this Laporta clown.—
Pol Ballus,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Adjective
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There’s no denying that catfish noodling is an absurd sport.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
11 Sep. 2025
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Barely any other media in recent times has given me an instant shock of glee or revulsion like this absurd anarcho-cartoon being stretched and squeezed to its most grotesque and wholesome clickbait limits.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
10 Sep. 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
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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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Indeed, the only character from The Office that actually carried over into the new series is Oscar, who serves as the lead accountant for Softees but gets dragooned into reporting and constructing Sudokus for the paper.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Instead, deaf viewers see unsynchronized plain white text on a black background and it is left to their imagination to infer those rich and nuanced character tomes essential for storytelling that hearing audiences take for granted.—
Gus Alexiou,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And when Sam cooks up a truly stupid scheme to make some quick cash, there’s little doubt a heavy like Mickey isn’t going to like it.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
12 Sep. 2025
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There's a fine line between stupid and clever, indeed.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Rob Reiner — who directed, starred and co-wrote the original with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer — has once again directed the sequel, faithfully playing his role as filmmaker Marty DiBergi, complete with military baseball cap and a director’s viewfinder around his neck.—
Mark Kennedy,
Boston Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
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The performance began with an arrangement fairly faithful to Isbell’s original, with Boone accompanied by just an acoustic guitar.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Zany.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zany. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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