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
Angelique Jackson, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025
From a Dune sandworm playing instruments to LA firefighters delivering jokes, O’Brien added his own zany and risky spin to the night.
—Rosa Escandon, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Operating like the best live-action Looney Tunes movie that never was, Hundreds of Beavers is essentially a series of increasingly zany gags in which fur trapper fend off literal hordes of beavers.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
Try to count all the zany knickknacks inside Northeast Pizza.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zany
Adjective
But, from the look of things in the two-and-a-half-minute clip — which reveals that Hampton owes a debt to a group of local gangsters, among other zany roadblocks — this comeback won’t be a cakewalk.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025
From a Dune sandworm playing instruments to LA firefighters delivering jokes, O’Brien added his own zany and risky spin to the night.
—Rosa Escandon, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Operating like the best live-action Looney Tunes movie that never was, Hundreds of Beavers is essentially a series of increasingly zany gags in which fur trapper fend off literal hordes of beavers.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
Try to count all the zany knickknacks inside Northeast Pizza.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zany
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zany
Adjective
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This strategy worked for him for about 10 years—and then began to bore him silly.—
Art Spiegelman,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Props to the people who green-lit Angry Birds to give kids a silly movie about infanticide.—
Jordan Crucchiola,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Caro Stowell of Thomasville was dressed up like a clown.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
5 Apr. 2025
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The final moments of the trailer revealed a terrifying figure hiding deep in the woods, one that looked overwhelmingly like a female clown.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Robert Redford delivers folksy wisdom as a local eccentric who once had his own dragon encounter, and even Karl Urban’s greedy logger is more of a nuisance than an outright villain.—
Josh Bell,
Vulture,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Attracting talent for greater innovation hazards acquiring a few eccentrics whose gifts come wrapped in controversial packaging.—
Chip Bell,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This whole exercise of proving the absence of antisemitism as a prerequisite to criticizing Israeli government policy is absurd.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
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Still, the sexist double standards around pockets have continued to be present in absurd ways.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Pity the poor actor who has to co-star opposite a 150-pound harlequin Great Dane.—
Peter Rainer,
Christian Science Monitor,
3 Apr. 2025
-
The role of Apollo goes to a magnificent fellow named Bing, a harlequin Great Dane with one brown eye, one blue, and an exceptionally expressive pair of eyebrows.—
Sheri Linden,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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From a personality standpoint, many have praised Dart for his competitive mindset and character, something that coach Mike Tomlin often values.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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Alanna is definitely in the running for my favorite overhauled show character.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Amelia soon decides that stupid boys (and humans in general) aren't worth keeping around.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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Sharing war plans outside U.S. government systems is the kind of offense that is almost too stupid to commit.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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My big mistake was in not challenging from the stage the foolish few who booed.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
31 Mar. 2025
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While tailback isn’t a need, only foolish franchises pass up the opportunity to add generational talents like Jeanty.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Zany.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zany. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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