as in goofy
lacking in seriousness or maturity
a scatterbrained child who couldn't seem to pay attention or stop fooling around
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Recent Examples of scatterbrained
The company enlisted Donald Duck’s scatterbrained cartoon uncle, Prof. Ludwig Von Drake, in a video on votedisney.com to make its case that Disney’s current board members are up to the job.
—
Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024
Meanwhile, Hudson turns up her ditz-o-meter to 11, twirling and screaming her way through a performance that should remind Hollywood of her singular scatterbrained talents.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2022
Trying to stay organized can be a real pain, especially for those of us who may be a bit scatterbrained.
—Chris Hachey, BGR, 22 June 2021
President Biden had another dismal week thanks to the accelerating border crisis, the beginnings of his assault on the Second Amendment, Vice President Kamala Harris’s behavior and his scatterbrained performance at a Thursday news conference.
—Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2021
Sadat cast Afghan nonactors to paint a scatterbrained picture of parentless adolescence, and outstanding production design immerses us in this historical remembrance.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2021
Donald Moffat is superb as a president who masks his ferocity with scatterbrained folksiness.
—Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2020
As her frustration mounted and her school progress stalled, Kristine indulged in a series of minor rebellions — ignoring assignments, disrupting class, and affecting a scatterbrained personality in a bid for popularity.
—Jason Deparle, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2019
He was noticed in what Itzkoff depicts with relish as a scatterbrained television business.
—David Thomson, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 May 2018
Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024
Meanwhile, Hudson turns up her ditz-o-meter to 11, twirling and screaming her way through a performance that should remind Hollywood of her singular scatterbrained talents.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2022
Trying to stay organized can be a real pain, especially for those of us who may be a bit scatterbrained.
—Chris Hachey, BGR, 22 June 2021
President Biden had another dismal week thanks to the accelerating border crisis, the beginnings of his assault on the Second Amendment, Vice President Kamala Harris’s behavior and his scatterbrained performance at a Thursday news conference.
—Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2021
Sadat cast Afghan nonactors to paint a scatterbrained picture of parentless adolescence, and outstanding production design immerses us in this historical remembrance.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2021
Donald Moffat is superb as a president who masks his ferocity with scatterbrained folksiness.
—Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2020
As her frustration mounted and her school progress stalled, Kristine indulged in a series of minor rebellions — ignoring assignments, disrupting class, and affecting a scatterbrained personality in a bid for popularity.
—Jason Deparle, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2019
He was noticed in what Itzkoff depicts with relish as a scatterbrained television business.
—David Thomson, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scatterbrained
Adjective
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Starring Keanu Reeves, a pre-Iron Man Robert Downey Jr., and an always-game Woody Harrelson, A Scanner Darkly is a fun film that manages to be at turns tense, goofy, and prophetic.—
Brian Smolensky and James Mercadante,
EW.com,
27 Jan. 2025
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Some of those pardoned included goofy characters, such as Chansley, who seemingly did not arrive at the Capitol intending to overthrow the government but got swept up in the moment.—
Ali Breland,
The Atlantic,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Here’s the thing: the three guys were totally down, but convincing Queen Bey to get super silly with them was going to be another matter entirely.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
28 Jan. 2025
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Looking silly is a small price to pay for a memorable first impression.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
No one questioned Bondi’s experience Republicans were giddy when discussing the prospect of Bondi overseeing the Department of Justice.—
Kirby Wilson,
Miami Herald,
15 Jan. 2025
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But traveling with kids has a way of softening FOMO: those stone temples have been there for a millennium, and Tove will only be a giddy six-year-old for a heartbeat.—
Naomi Tomky,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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That drive went 74 yards in seven plays and was the answer the Buccaneers desperately needed after a mostly futile first half on offense.—
NBC News,
NBC News,
13 Jan. 2025
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Multifactor authentication and other validation checks will become increasingly futile.—
Michael DeCesare,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near scatterbrained
Cite this Entry
“Scatterbrained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scatterbrained. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
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