as in goofy
lacking in seriousness or maturity
a scatterbrained child who couldn't seem to pay attention or stop fooling around
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Recent Examples of scatterbrained
The novel begins on a Monday afternoon like any other at its three adolescent central characters’ loving but scatterbrained aunt Xía’s house in Miami.
—
Juan Vidal, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
The company enlisted Donald Duck’s scatterbrained cartoon uncle, Prof. Ludwig Von Drake, in a video on votedisney.com to make its case that Disney’s current board members are up to the job.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024
Meanwhile, Hudson turns up her ditz-o-meter to 11, twirling and screaming her way through a performance that should remind Hollywood of her singular scatterbrained talents.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2022
Trying to stay organized can be a real pain, especially for those of us who may be a bit scatterbrained.
—Chris Hachey, BGR, 22 June 2021
President Biden had another dismal week thanks to the accelerating border crisis, the beginnings of his assault on the Second Amendment, Vice President Kamala Harris’s behavior and his scatterbrained performance at a Thursday news conference.
—Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2021
Sadat cast Afghan nonactors to paint a scatterbrained picture of parentless adolescence, and outstanding production design immerses us in this historical remembrance.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2021
Donald Moffat is superb as a president who masks his ferocity with scatterbrained folksiness.
—Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2020
As her frustration mounted and her school progress stalled, Kristine indulged in a series of minor rebellions — ignoring assignments, disrupting class, and affecting a scatterbrained personality in a bid for popularity.
—Jason Deparle, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2019
Juan Vidal, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
The company enlisted Donald Duck’s scatterbrained cartoon uncle, Prof. Ludwig Von Drake, in a video on votedisney.com to make its case that Disney’s current board members are up to the job.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024
Meanwhile, Hudson turns up her ditz-o-meter to 11, twirling and screaming her way through a performance that should remind Hollywood of her singular scatterbrained talents.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2022
Trying to stay organized can be a real pain, especially for those of us who may be a bit scatterbrained.
—Chris Hachey, BGR, 22 June 2021
President Biden had another dismal week thanks to the accelerating border crisis, the beginnings of his assault on the Second Amendment, Vice President Kamala Harris’s behavior and his scatterbrained performance at a Thursday news conference.
—Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2021
Sadat cast Afghan nonactors to paint a scatterbrained picture of parentless adolescence, and outstanding production design immerses us in this historical remembrance.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2021
Donald Moffat is superb as a president who masks his ferocity with scatterbrained folksiness.
—Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2020
As her frustration mounted and her school progress stalled, Kristine indulged in a series of minor rebellions — ignoring assignments, disrupting class, and affecting a scatterbrained personality in a bid for popularity.
—Jason Deparle, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scatterbrained
Adjective
-
As his goofy face is soon detached from the rest of his body and tossed around the room like a hot potato, blood spraying in all directions, the class is left traumatized and Mr. Bunting’s dismissal suddenly starts to feel slightly warranted.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
11 Feb. 2025
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The premise: Jim (Will Ferrell) is a goofy widowed dad whose daughter Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan) has gotten engaged; Margot (Reese Witherspoon) is an uptight businesswoman whose younger sister Neve (Meredith Hagner) has gotten engaged.—
Moira MacDonald / Seattle Times,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Today, Sophia Smith, a Colorado kid whose commute from Windsor and dedication to soccer makes my story look silly, is making more than $500,000 a year in her new contract with the Portland Thorns, and reports say her outside contracts and sponsorships are worth another $1.2 million.—
Megan Schrader,
The Denver Post,
9 Feb. 2025
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The way bacon is packaged in this country is silly.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The crowd got loose and giddy as Dončić was introduced last, conspicuously after LeBron James.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
12 Feb. 2025
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The movie concludes with a twenty-two-minute take that’s too giddy a jolt to spoil.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Telling people to evacuate with no plan — or even an actual route — seems pretty futile.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Feb. 2025
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Loading your audio article SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks defenseman Cody Ceci has been around long enough to know that trying to predict what’s going to happen at the NHL trade deadline – particularly five weeks ahead of time – can be a futile endeavor.—
Curtis Pashelka,
The Mercury News,
30 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near scatterbrained
Cite this Entry
“Scatterbrained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scatterbrained. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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