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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of zany
Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 30 Nov. 2025
Emily Ratajkowski's interpretation of Marge Simpson from The Simpsons at Klum's 2015 Heidi Halloween was perfectly zany for the occasion.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
And, eventually, so many symptom-free years had gone by that my diagnosis began to seem like just one more zany tale from my careening twenties.
—Lucinda Rosenfeld, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Peterman played the equally zany Bonnie Wheeler on the Freeform series Baby Daddy during its six-season run.
—Eric King, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zany
Adjective
Even seeing her most recently in a bottle green Dior slogan sweater felt quite zany for the queen of quiet luxury.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 30 Nov. 2025
Emily Ratajkowski's interpretation of Marge Simpson from The Simpsons at Klum's 2015 Heidi Halloween was perfectly zany for the occasion.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
And, eventually, so many symptom-free years had gone by that my diagnosis began to seem like just one more zany tale from my careening twenties.
—Lucinda Rosenfeld, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Peterman played the equally zany Bonnie Wheeler on the Freeform series Baby Daddy during its six-season run.
—Eric King, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zany
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zany
Adjective
-
This struck many experts as silly.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Frequent co-stars Johnson and Hart, known for their hilarious chemistry, have played Rock, Paper, Scissors and other silly games in promos for their movies, especially their Jumanji films.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Brewer depicts the world of music impersonators with a fair amount of affection, like the rodeo clowns of late 20th-century America.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Cirque du Soleil is known for its shows featuring acrobats, athletes and clowns – all doing spectacular feats.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Also, Joan Cusack plays an infamous local eccentric, and a fictional pop star shows up!—
Mary Sollosi,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Dec. 2025
-
The logger and railsplitter occasionally encounters American eccentrics, like a chatty drifter prone to sporting bible verses and an old coot of a demolitions expert with a philosophical bent.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
23 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
In tribute to Michael Keane’s hair-pulling on Wednesday, Cerys Jones picked through the stupidest dismissals in Premier League history.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
-
To do a lot less foolish, thoughtless, stupid, idiotic things.—
Gwen Faulkenberry,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In these respects, apart from the harlequin excesses of his Stalinism, Cowley is terrifically sound.—
Vince Passaro,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Speaking of South Africa, harlequin flower (Sparaxis tricolor) is another cormaceous plant from that part of the world.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Gyles Brandreth, broadcaster, former MP and friend to Christopher Robin Milne, opened up about the man behind the character while chatting with Joe Sibilia on Nostalgia Tonight.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
-
That idea of shiny surfaces is key to Cathy’s character and costumes.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
After the first Roundtable, Survivor stalwart Rob Cesternino — perhaps clued in by Candiace’s absurd conga line ploy to get people out of the kitchen — sniffed out that a murder in plain sight could be happening.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Contrary to what many may think, the researchers found no correlation between a person’s level of education and their capacity to believe in absurd conspiracies.—
Joe Wilkins Published Jan 8,
Futurism,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In the meantime, the team continues to search for similar objects to determine whether Cloud-9 is an oddball or part of a larger cohort of relics.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Eight years later, Russ makes a last-chance gambit to resurrect his football dreams by disguising himself as Chad Powers, a talented oddball who walks on to the struggling South Georgia Catfish team.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
3 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Zany.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zany. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
