1
as in humorous
causing or intended to cause laughter
antic shenanigans that made me nearly fall over with laughter
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in playful
given to good-natured joking or teasing
an antic group of kids at summer camp
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in prank
a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke
we'll have no more of your antics, so just settle down
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of antic
Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024
The cast works hard and brings off some antic moments, but too many of the riffs fall flat.
—Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
But these conversations feel shockingly forced — Karen is scrambling to squeeze in a sympathy play and runs out of Housewives to help entertain these antics.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for antic 
Adjective
Eventually, Galliano went to Paris—and Paris in the ’80s meant Karl Lagerfeld: antic, droll, and highly sophisticated.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024
The cast works hard and brings off some antic moments, but too many of the riffs fall flat.
—Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
Fortunately for her, internet users have lauded her antics and even praised her for taking the bread, which can be harmful to birds anyway.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
But these conversations feel shockingly forced — Karen is scrambling to squeeze in a sympathy play and runs out of Housewives to help entertain these antics.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for antic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antic
Adjective
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Based on the humorous writings of author Jean Shepherd, the beloved holiday movie follows the wintry exploits of youngster Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), who spends most of his time dodging a bully (Zack Ward) and dreaming of his ideal Christmas gift, a Red Ryder Air Rifle.Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 11 Dec. 2024
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And especially if the song comes from a musical comedy, then the lyrics are often humorous.Chris Willman, Variety, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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What to expect: The restaurant continues Diaz's playful exploration of combining the Mexican-American staples of his youth with cooking techniques from around the world, especially Asian cuisines.Zachery Eanes, Axios, 17 Dec. 2024
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The waters of the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean draw pods of playful bottlenose dolphins that love to swim alongside boats and leap out of the water in graceful arcs.AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
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But before either set of students could be comfortable enough to start pulling any pranks, there was a significant adjustment period for both sides.Matt Weyrich, Baltimore Sun, 14 Dec. 2024
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With Linwood Boomer and the creative team at the helm, these new episodes will have all the laughs, pranks, and mayhem fans loved — along with a few surprises that remind us why this show is so timeless.Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Green should win the title and use her reign as champion to morph into a slightly more serious and less comedic character.Blake Oestriecher, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
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And in Annie's climax, delivers one of the biggest comedic moments in the show with an off-handed remark to Mark Woodard's FDR.Dave Quinn, People.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The gods prove cruel but not omnipotent, and the modern settings exert their own redemptive pull; the final effect is that of a magic trick, in which the characters manage, in each film’s miraculous closing moments, to slip the bonds of tragedy.Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2024
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As for the pineapple addition to the drink, eating the fruit is another common, nonmedical trick that people suggest for getting labor started (some people also swear by it when trying to conceive).Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Crandell, the Harvard physiatrist, is a funny, brainy, and upbeat clinician who treats people with amputations in the Spaulding Rehabilitation Center, a building overlooking Boston Harbor.Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
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An Instax camera snaps photos throughout the night, the shots progressively funnier the more nog is consumed.Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Zaillian, hewing to Patricia Highsmith’s novel, emphasized the sheer labor—often tedious, sometimes comical—involved in covering up a life of homicide and fraud.Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
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After a comical flash of Matty in a seersucker suit à la Andy Griffith’s OG Matlock, Matty woke up in bed alongside husband Edwin.Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 17 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Escola’s brazenly ahistorical Mary Todd is one of those devilish comic creations, such as Jiminy Glick or Pee-wee Herman, that seems less invented than sprung free, never to return.Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
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But this nearly 50-year-old film nevertheless surprises for how fresh its comedic sensibility is and its modern comic point of view.Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Antic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antic. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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