zany
Americanadjective
noun
plural
zaniesadjective
noun
-
a clown or buffoon, esp one in old comedies who imitated other performers with ludicrous effect
-
a ludicrous or foolish person
Other Word Forms
- zanily adverb
- zaniness noun
- zanyish adjective
- zanyism noun
Etymology
Origin of zany
1560–70; (< Middle French ) < Italian zan ( n ) i (later zanno ) a servant character in the commedia dell’arte, perhaps originally the character's name, the Upper Italian form of Tuscan Gianni, for Giovanni John
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.
Zorthian Ranch, the zany artist compound, was a second home for Calvin, who loved to ride horses there.
From Los Angeles Times
The book is potent, pungent and powerful on every page, full of excitement and zany counterculture cool and spiced with Mr. Freston’s razor-sharp observations and quick wit.
College football has its fair share of zany traditions, but none has become as reliable as spending the final weekend of the season arguing over whether Alabama deserves to make the College Football Playoff.
Whitten stood on stage in a top hat and his hair in a zany afro — which was actually a weave installed by four Senegalese women for the price of $2,600, says Sykes.
From Los Angeles Times
The cartoonist weaves in his own reflections on American history—and includes some zanier episodes more in keeping with the spirit of “Zippy.”
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.
