as in silly
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
she's always off on some screwball plan
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of screwball
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 21 May 2020
These two also know how to banter like they’ve been thrown into a Golden Age screwball comedy.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 17 May 2020
Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024
Their collision point results in one of the funniest screwball comedies of the modern era, a pervert’s homage to It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World brought to life by a cast of legends: Mary Tyler Moore, Alan Alda, Lily Tomlin, George Segal, Richard Jenkins, Josh Brolin, Patricia Arquette, Téa Leoni.
—Sean Malin, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for screwball 
Adjective
Little wonder the screwball comedy is practically a lost genre.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 21 May 2020
These two also know how to banter like they’ve been thrown into a Golden Age screwball comedy.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 17 May 2020
Noun
But the pudgy screwball specialist with the funky delivery emerged as the team’s ace in 1981, going 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA in 25 starts and winning the NL Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards, a performance that earned him a long leash in the postseason.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024
Their collision point results in one of the funniest screwball comedies of the modern era, a pervert’s homage to It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World brought to life by a cast of legends: Mary Tyler Moore, Alan Alda, Lily Tomlin, George Segal, Richard Jenkins, Josh Brolin, Patricia Arquette, Téa Leoni.
—Sean Malin, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for screwball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwball
Adjective
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Related article How internet addiction may affect your teen’s brain, according to a new study Nonverbal communication isn’t new The lack of spoken words in a silent review, which requires an audience to infer whether a reviewer likes a product or not, may seem silly.Gina Park, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
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But she’s done ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘Domino,’ she’s done silly and also very serious.Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
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That someone was Gary Paxton, one of the true eccentrics in the early fly-by-night Hollywood rock ‘n’ roll industry.Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024
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Leslie Cochran and 'Crazy Carl' have not been forgotten Two of Austin's most beloved eccentrics from the recent past received votes.Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 12 Aug. 2024
Adjective
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Wagner clearly states that much of his online comedy is about making funny videos and photos that include absurd, and very much fake, news stories, neighborhood flyers, music, and in this case a movie.Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024
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The retort there is that if the marketplace sees the position as absurd or grossly premature, the potential reputational harm to the firm might not be worth the endeavor.Lance Eliot, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Even as his acting career now spans three decades, Jude Law continues to be a Hollywood leading man, with his impressive versatility to play characters from many walks of life, in a wide range of film & television projects.Jeff Conway, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
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These signs recur throughout the annals of early Chinese history: unicorns; phoenixes; albino fish with red characters inscribed on their faces; dragons and turtles with mysterious inscriptions on their backs; iridescent earthworms; and more.Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Wild Card with Rachel Martin Issa Rae on the belief that gets her through 'stupid mistakes and bad decisions' Lithgow: More.Rachel Martin, NPR, 8 Dec. 2024
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For the people stupid enough to have trusted a midwit career bureaucrat as unscrupulous as President Joe Biden, there’s a sixth stage just before acceptance: delusion.Becket Adams, National Review, 8 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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If he can be had for under $10 million a year, the Yankees would be foolish to not pursue that idea.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
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What a degrading finale for Biden’s feeble, forgettable, frequently foolish presidency.Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2024
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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Idiot glee is a kind of sheer joy at the mad fact of the world.Sean Illing, Vox, 9 Dec. 2024
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But neither doctors nor group therapy can see beyond a confused and maybe slightly mad person.Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near screwball
Cite this Entry
“Screwball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwball. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
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