gooney
Americanadjective
-
Slang. stupid, foolish, or awkward.
a gooney smile on his face.
-
Informal. thuggish; brutal.
Other Word Forms
- goonily adverb
Etymology
Origin of gooney
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She favors expressions like “Oh my gooney goo hoo!” and “Okie pokie dokie shmokie!”
From New York Times • Dec. 9, 2013
I have helped some of these gooney birds to build their nests, and the aid was accepted gracefully, but the bird selects the site.
From Time Magazine Archive
Even then remote and selfabsorbed, Grace used to write poetry, some serious, some "little gooney ones" that showed a neat turn of phrase.
From Time Magazine Archive
The friendly gooney birds lay their big eggs on or near the runways, rise in clouds as if to welcome planes on landing or to see them off on takeoffs.
From Time Magazine Archive
On his way back to camp he discovered a few handfuls of sea salt in a crevice between some rocks, and the syndicate breakfasted an hour later on roast gooney.
From Captain Scraggs or, The Green-Pea Pirates by Grant, Gordon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
