zany

[ zey-nee ]

adjective

, za·ni·er, za·ni·est.

1. ludicrously or whimsically comical; clownish.

noun

, plural za·nies.

1. one who plays the clown or fool in order to amuse others.
2. a comically wild or eccentric person.

   Synonyms: lunatic, crazy, kook

3. a secondary stock character in old comedies who mimicked his master.
4. a professional buffoon; clown.
5. a silly person; simpleton.
6. a slavish attendant or follower.

zany

/ ˈzeɪnɪ /

adjective

1. comical in an endearing way; imaginatively funny or comical, esp in behaviour

noun

1. a clown or buffoon, esp one in old comedies who imitated other performers with ludicrous effect
2. a ludicrous or foolish person

Derived Forms

• ˈzanyism, noun
• ˈzaniness, noun
• ˈzanily, adverb

Other Words From

• zani·ly adverb
• zani·ness zany·ism noun
• zany·ish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of zany¹

1560–70; (< Middle French ) < Italian zan ( n ) i (later zanno ) a servant character in the commedia dell’arte, perhaps originally the character's name, the Upper Italian form of Tuscan Gianni, for Giovanni John

Word History and Origins

Origin of zany¹

C16: from Italian zanni, from dialect (Venice and Lombardy) Zanni, nickname for Giovanni John; one of the traditional names for a clown

Example Sentences

After a zany sequence, when Trevon Diggs scored a touchdown off an interception and then Mac Jones tossed a 75-yard touchdown pass in response, the Cowboys drove into New England territory needing a field goal to force overtime.

From Washington Post

Stretch your legs at the Big Badlands Overlook and the Saddle Pass Trailhead before grabbing lunch at Wall Drug, a zany roadside attraction that’s been a piece of South Dakota history for 90 years.

From Outside Online

In recent years, scientists studying the effect of light on brain function have confirmed some of Cook’s zanier intuitions.

From Time

In what may be its zaniest gambit yet, IKEA has launched an audiobook.

From Quartz

With US regulatory boards making it easier for new products to reach the market during the coronavirus emergency, a slew of solutions—from zany to ingenious—have become available.

From Quartz

A remembrance of the zany, ad-libbing actor who made us laugh and cry.

From The Daily Beast

The proliferation of zany burger toppings came next as an inevitable by-product of the high-end burger fad.

From The Daily Beast

It was the zany TV interview he conducted with Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS-TV that made him an instant viral celebrity.

From The Daily Beast

Look at her zany appearance with Dave Letterman about tweeting on Ambien for proof of that.

From The Daily Beast

Aside from the zany plot, the film stretches the bounds of realism thanks to its bloody zombie kills.

From The Daily Beast

Y was a Youth, that did not love school; Z was a Zany, a poor harmless fool.

From Project Gutenberg

He knew that so long as he obeyed orders he would be unharmed, and he would have been a zany had he hesitated to do so.

From Project Gutenberg

The youth never doubted that he would carry out this threat, and he would have been a zany to draw the explosion of wrath.

From Project Gutenberg

Oh, you selfish young zany of a man, after all you have said to her, won't you make it up and let me return to my coffee?

From Project Gutenberg

The alabaster image of the Blessed Virgin kept turning to a paper thing, kept nodding at him like a zany.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• campy
• comical
• eccentric
• goofy
• kooky
• loony
• madcap
• wacky