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zany

za·ny
Z z

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [zey-nee]
    • /ˈzeɪ ni/
    • /ˈzeɪ.ni/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [zey-nee]
    • /ˈzeɪ ni/

Definitions of zany word

  • adjective zany ludicrously or whimsically comical; clownish. 1
  • noun plural zany one who plays the clown or fool in order to amuse others. 1
  • noun plural zany a comically wild or eccentric person. 1
  • noun plural zany a secondary stock character in old comedies who mimicked his master. 1
  • noun plural zany a professional buffoon; clown. 1
  • noun plural zany a silly person; simpleton. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of zany

First appearance:

before 1560
One of the 32% oldest English words
1560-70; (< Middle French) < Italian zan(n)i (later zanno) a servant character in the commedia dell’arte, perhaps orig. the character's name, the Upper Italian form of Tuscan Gianni, for Giovanni John

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Zany

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

zany popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 79% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

Synonyms for zany

adjective zany

  • crazy — If you describe someone or something as crazy, you think they are very foolish or strange.
  • madcap — wildly or heedlessly impulsive; reckless; rash: a madcap scheme.
  • wacky — odd or irrational; crazy: They had some wacky plan for selling more books.
  • unconventional — not conventional; not bound by or conforming to convention, rule, or precedent; free from conventionality: an unconventional artist; an unconventional use of material.
  • screwball — Slang. an eccentric or whimsically eccentric person; a nut.

noun zany

  • buffoon — If you call someone a buffoon, you mean that they often do foolish things.
  • card — A card is a piece of stiff paper or thin cardboard on which something is written or printed.
  • clown — A clown is a performer in a circus who wears funny clothes and bright make-up, and does silly things in order to make people laugh.
  • comedian — A comedian is an entertainer whose job is to make people laugh, by telling jokes or funny stories.
  • comic — If you describe something as comic, you mean that it makes you laugh, and is often intended to make you laugh.

Antonyms for zany

adjective zany

  • serious — of, showing, or characterized by deep thought.

noun zany

  • brain — Your brain is the organ inside your head that controls your body's activities and enables you to think and to feel things such as heat and pain.

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See also

Matching words

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