1
as in humorous
causing or intended to cause laughter
antic shenanigans that made me nearly fall over with laughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in playful
given to good-natured joking or teasing
an antic group of kids at summer camp
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in prank
a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke
we'll have no more of your antics, so just settle down
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of antic
Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
Rudolph fills the contours of these antic story lines with a wild array of incidents and decorates them with similarly wild ornamental distractions.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2025
Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 4 June 2025
On-stage antics Two-and-a-half hours saw a lot of variety from the celebrity guests.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for antic
Adjective
The son is his father’s fiendish double, an antic, self-loathing imp who, loudly proclaiming his adoration of Eli-Leizer, makes a mockery of him.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
Rudolph fills the contours of these antic story lines with a wild array of incidents and decorates them with similarly wild ornamental distractions.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2025
Noun
The antics that ensue are amusing, but there isn’t much incisiveness in the increasingly farcical dog-eat-dog dénouement.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 4 June 2025
On-stage antics Two-and-a-half hours saw a lot of variety from the celebrity guests.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for antic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antic
Adjective
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Earlier this week, on Monday, June 9, Matthew posted about their 13th wedding anniversary in an equally humorous way.—
Sabrina Weiss,
People.com,
13 June 2025
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And fans of the franchise will get a kick out of the humorous, quirky dynamic between the entire group of younger Vikings in training.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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Working with other young rappers—peers, not big brothers—yielded a looser, more playful Wayne who got to test his dexterity over popular instrumentals of the early aughts.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
6 June 2025
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The brown leather exterior means it can be dressed up with office clothes while its size and woven design are playful enough to work with casual looks like Birkenstocks, a tee, and loose jeans.—
Clint Davis,
People.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
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During their chat, the conversation turned to some of their less savory SNL jokes, including pranks behind the scenes.—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
20 June 2025
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Spring break is around the corner, and every parent knows the challenge of keeping kids entertained without resorting to handing over their smartphone for an endless scroll of prank videos.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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The narrative twist: the story is driven not by the characters themselves but by eight distinct emotions in their minds — comedic, romantic, bizarre, and rational.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 June 2025
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Part of that connection stems from Bond himself, who is a much more animated character than Agent 47, who’s conversely a mostly emotionless fixture that’s juxtaposed (to comedic effect) with the outlandish luxury and violence around him.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
18 June 2025
Noun
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However, there is a trick for using both of these operations together.—
Paul Smith-Goodson,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Or is that all part of a deeper trick, a wilder swing?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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Ramsey’s memoir is a moving, sometimes funny story about destruction, change and rebirth, told by a woman tempered by fire.—
Laurie Hertzel,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2025
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Roman is my kind of Virgil—chatty, funny, forgiving, sharp.—
Marina Harss,
New Yorker,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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Things get gory, but the blocky voxel look allows the game to lean into comical territory.—
Simon Hill,
Wired News,
13 June 2025
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In 1986, Mahaffey appeared in the six-hour comical miniseries Fresno opposite Carol Burnett and in the dramatic film Women of Valor, which followed a group of women in the Philippines during World War II.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
Adjective
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The television version faces the formidable challenge of how to represent Murderbot’s darkly comic interior monologue in a third-person format, and its success is in large part a function of Skarsgård’s face, which can pull off a range of sardonic micro-expressions.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
13 June 2025
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All of it paints a vivid word-portrait of comic dignity.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Antic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antic. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.
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