zany

1 of 2

adjective

za·​ny ˈzā-nē 

zanier; zaniest

1

: very eccentric (see eccentric entry 1 sense 1a) or absurd (see absurd entry 1 sense 1) often in an amusing way

a zany comedy

the movie's zany characters/antics/humor

another one of his zany ideas

2

archaic : being or having the characteristics of a zany

zanily

ˈzā-nə-lē 

adverb

zaniness

ˈzā-nē-nəs 

noun

zany

2 of 2

noun

plural zanies

1

: a subordinate clown or acrobat in old comedies who mimics ludicrously the tricks of the principal : merry-andrew

2

archaic : a person who fawns over another person : a servile follower : toady

… must have known the falsehood of the slander which they encouraged their zanies to propagate.

—William Gifford

3

a

: one who acts the buffoon to amuse others

b

: nut, kook

Did you know?

The oddballs among us are likely familiar with zany as an adjective, meaning "eccentric." But did you know the word originated as a noun—one that has withstood the test of time? Zanies have been theatrical buffoons since the heyday of the Italian commedia dell’arte, in which a "zanni" was a stock servant character, often an intelligent and proud valet with abundant common sense and a love of practical jokes. Zanni comes from a dialect nickname for Giovanni, the Italian form of John. The character quickly spread throughout European theater circles, inspiring such familiar characters as Pierrot and Harlequin, and by the late 1500s an anglicized version of the noun zany was introduced to English. The adjective appeared within decades, and eventually both adopted more general meanings to refer to or describe those of us who are quipsters and weirdos.

Synonyms

Adjective

• absurd
• asinine
• balmy
• brainless
• bubbleheaded
• cockeyed
• crackpot
• crazy
• cuckoo
• daffy
• daft
• dippy
• dotty
• fatuous
• featherheaded
• fool
• foolish
• half-baked
• half-witted
• harebrained
• inept
• insane
• jerky
• kooky
• kookie
• loony
• looney
• lunatic
• lunkheaded
• mad
• nonsensical
• nutty
• preposterous
• sappy
• screwball
• senseless
• silly
• simpleminded
• stupid
• tomfool
• unwise
• wacky
• whacky
• weak-minded
• witless

Noun

• buffo
• buffoon
• clown
• harlequin

Examples of zany in a Sentence

Adjective

a zany plan to drive cross-country on a motorized scooter

Noun

hired a zany to entertain the children at the birthday party

one of the challenges of hosting a radio call-in program is preventing the zanies from completely taking over the discussion

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

After Stern retired in 2014, the code was relaxed, allowing for progressively zanier ’fits. —Maya Singer, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2025

Bong being Bong — and judging from the colorfully zany trailer — this adaptation of an Edward Ashton novel will likely make class warfare a key theme. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2025

The zany magic of the screwballs of the 1930s and 1940s eventually faded, and the 1950s brought more wistful fare, like Roman Holiday. —Esther Zuckerman, Rolling Stone, 27 Dec. 2024

Hemsworth relishes his chance here to show another side of his acting chops, and the result is one of the funniest and zaniest villainous performances in recent memory. —Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian zanni, a traditional masked clown, from Italian dialect Zanni, nickname for Italian Giovanni John

First Known Use

Adjective

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

zany

1 of 2 noun

za·​ny ˈzā-nē 

plural zanies

1

: clown entry 1 sense 2

2

: a silly or foolish person

zany

2 of 2 adjective

zanier; zaniest

1

: being, typical of, or resembling a zany

2

: very odd or unusual often in an amusing way

a zany movie

zanily

ˈzā-nə-lē 

ˈzān-ᵊl-ē

adverb

zaniness

ˈzā-nē-nəs 

noun