as in silly
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
she's always off on some screwball plan
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in eccentric
a person of odd or whimsical habits
a screwball who liked to save lint and bits of string
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of screwball
A.a. Dowd, Chron, 12 May 2023
Each event becomes screwball one-act with different chaos ensembles.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2023
Dana Feldman, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Baker at first gives us a whirlwind, screwball romance; then, after spinning us around a few times, leads us to one of those great movie endings that’s both staggering and gentle.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for screwball
Adjective
Here, Johnson applies a screwball procedural framework to a true story of tech-world boom and bust, building his movie on a clash of values and personalities.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 12 May 2023
Each event becomes screwball one-act with different chaos ensembles.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2023
Noun
The Residence is a screwball whodunit set in the upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs of the White House, among the eclectic staff of the world's most famous mansion.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Baker at first gives us a whirlwind, screwball romance; then, after spinning us around a few times, leads us to one of those great movie endings that’s both staggering and gentle.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for screwball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwball
Adjective
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Moments that may seem silly or insignificant to others — like sharing a particular greeting, teasing each other in a familiar way or even speaking to each other in silly, baby-ish voices — can be great sources of comfort and familiarity for partners.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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The industry has seen its fair share of terrible ideas, from the downright bizarre to the silly.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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Over time, though, the character began to resemble Warner Bros. Discovery president David Zaslav, who famously sought to permanently shelve projects like Batgirl and Coyote vs. Acme for tax write-offs.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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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
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
Adjective
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Tauruses will go crazy for something chic, functional, and soft to the touch.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
9 Feb. 2023
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Before getting into the chaos of episode 5, that episode 4 cliff hanger was crazy.—
Calie Schepp,
EW.com,
6 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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And the maddest thing of all is the AI Generator, who wants to marry her!—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
6 Apr. 2025
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The other tuna dodged their dead companions with a flick of the tail and continued their mad carousel.—
Julia Amberger, Nanni Fontana, Marzio Mian, & Nicola Scevola (Tr. Elettra Pauletto),
The Dial,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Screwball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwball. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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