nutball

1 of 2

noun

nut·​ball ˈnət-ˌbȯl 

plural nutballs

chiefly US, informal

: a foolish or eccentric person

… much as you'd like to say this guy is just a weirdo, a California nutball doing the trendiest of self-help stuff, you can't write it off so fast.

—Rick Telander

also, sometimes offensive : someone who is not mentally sound

nutball

2 of 2

adjective

: eccentric, nutty

a nutball idea

… a thoroughly nutball comedy …

—Glenn Garvin

"… It was sort of like, here's this great, juicy nutball character who can talk about murder and jewelry all in the same sentence, and you buy it. …"

—Ryan Murphy

also, sometimes offensive : mentally unsound

Word History

Etymology

Noun

nut entry 1 + -ball (as in oddball, screwball entry 1)

First Known Use

Noun

1959, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1963, in the meaning defined above