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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of screwball
Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 6 Apr. 2026
Yes, this is a script that figured a big-budget gangster-monster epic could also manage to fit a screwball buddy comedy.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
His new film, the screwball comedy What’s Up, Doc?, was on its way to becoming one of the biggest hits of the year.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for screwball
Adjective
This is about family life for Malcolm, who spent his childhood caught in the middle of his family’s side-splitting, screwball dysfunction.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 6 Apr. 2026
Yes, this is a script that figured a big-budget gangster-monster epic could also manage to fit a screwball buddy comedy.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Noun
Potempa, who led the Patriots to a victory over 2025 Ohio Division II state champion Painesville Riverside in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, during spring break, throws a fastball, a change-up, a riseball, a curveball and a screwball.
—Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
His new film, the screwball comedy What’s Up, Doc?, was on its way to becoming one of the biggest hits of the year.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for screwball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwball
Adjective
-
From Valentino pig hoofs to Chanel half-sandals, our feeds are full of silly, outrageous and outright ugly footwear.—
Shane O’Neill,
Washington Post,
12 June 2026
-
This 22-inch hopping ball has a silly face on it, available in blue or orange.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
But the film is really a tour of a pre-gentrified East Village, full of low-key bars and cafes, run-down apartments, eccentrics and struggling artists.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
-
Once a stronghold of canneries and lumber mills, the town has numerous tumbledown Victorians that have long been havens for artists, brewers, and various eccentrics—along with fans of The Goonies, who make pilgrimages to see where the seminal movie was shot.—
David Amsden,
Travel + Leisure,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Soon my entire feed was pugs and poodles and beagles and portmanteau blends with absurd names like golden doodle and cavapoo.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Produced by Heavy Lifting Productions in association with 3 Arts Entertainment, Knighted follows a missing person’s case that spirals into an absurd documentary-style exploration of the sinister secrets lurking beneath the enchanting pageantry of a local medieval dinner theatre.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
As the crew invades his space and a volatile director (Pyper-Ferguson) pushes him to his limits the line between Levi and his character dissolves.—
William Earl,
Variety,
12 June 2026
-
The neighborhood/area Bilbao has an industrial character that is both more modern and more traditional than its popular counterpart, San Sebastián, and the Artist sits in the revitalized upper edge of the Abando District.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Fans wear their favorite players’ name, beg for their autograph and spend stupid amounts of money just to be in their proximity.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
Not every bee was successful, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s such a thing as a stupid bumblebee, Loukola says.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Then there are oddballs – traction control – pretty rare in this class, alongside ABS, and a belt drive.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 May 2026
-
Wyck is an oddball — every town seems to have one.—
Maira Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
It’s presented without winks or nudges, neither as a joke nor necessarily foolish.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
If the target was foolish enough to reuse passwords, credential thefts like these could enable the compromise of more important accounts.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
The French original has found success on Canal+ in France and ARD in Germany.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
12 June 2026
-
The menu offers many of the original’s most famous dishes, like the beloved lobster pancakes and lamb spare ribs.—
Connie Ogle
June 11,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Screwball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwball. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
