Zany

Definition: Zany

Zany

Adjective

1. (informal terms) "gave me a cockamamie reason for not going"; "wore a goofy hat"; "a silly idea"; "some wacky plan for selling more books".

2. Like a clown; "a buffoonish walk"; "a clownish face"; "a zany sense of humor".

Noun

1. A buffoon in one of the old comedies; imitates others for ludicrous effect.

2. A man who is a stupid fool.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "zany" was first used: 1588. (references)

Etymology: Zany \Za"ny\, noun; plural Zanies. [Italian zanni a buffoon, merry-andrew, orig. same as Giovanni John, i. e., merry John, Latin Ioannes, Greek, Heb. Y[=o]kh[=a]n[=a]n, prop., the Lord graciously gave: compare to French zani, from the Italian. Compare to Jenneting.]. (references)

Satire

Biographical Satire

Slang in 1811

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Zany

Fool

Noun: fool, idiot, tomfool, wiseacre, simpleton, witling, dizzard, donkey, ass; ninny, ninnyhammer; chowderhead, chucklehead; dolt, booby, Tom Noddy, looby, hoddy-doddy, noddy, nonny, noodle, nizy, owl; goose, goosecap; imbecile; gaby; radoteur, nincompoop, badaud, zany; trifler, babbler; pretty fellow; natural, niais.

Humorist

Zany, madcap; pickle-herring, witling, caricaturist, grimacier; persifleur.

Wit

Zany, madcap.

Crosswords: Zany

When I first heard that Marge was joining the police academy, I thought it would be fun and zany, like that movie Spaceballs (The Simpsons; writing credit: Artur Brauner; Paul Hengge)

We'd love to join you and Scooby in the Mystery Machine for another zany adventure, but we have to turn in our permission slips before homeroom (Smallville; writing credit: Richard Pinto; Sharat Sardana)

The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood (1984)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

References

• Zany Brainy, Inc.: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference)

  (more reference examples)

Books

• Hensel and Roostel & Elepunzel (Judy Ziegler's Zany Fairy Tales) (reference)

• Silly Soup: Ten Zany Plays With Songs and Ideas for Making Them Your Own (reference)

  (more book examples)

Theater & Movies

• The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• Festival: A Zany New Musical (1979 Original Broadway Cast) [CAST RECORDING] (reference)

• Wolfman Jack's: Zany Hits (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Expression using "zany": buffoonish clownish zany. Additional references.

Albanian

teveqel (dolt, dull, dummy, fool, foolish, imbecile, innocent, noodle, simpleton, zombie), karagjoz (cutup, droll, jester, laughing stock), i marrë (Batty, crack-brained, crazy, Daffy, delirious, demented, deranged, dippy, insane, mad, madman, phrenetic, wildcat), bufon (buffoon, droll, jester, merry andrew, stooge). (various references)

Arabic 

‏المهرج (buffoon, droll, harlequin, pierrot, wag), ‏المغفل (boob, booby, daw, dullard, dunce, dunderhead, dupe, featherbrain, gaby, gander, gawk, idiot, jackass, lout, lunkhead, moron, mug, mugful, mutt, nincompoop, ninny, noodle, numskull, simpleton, sucker), ‏المضحك (buffoon, comedian, harlequin, wag), ‏الساذج (dupe, gaby, goose, gull, lamb, loon, mutt, nincompoop, ninny, pigeon, simpleton, villain), ‏الأحمق (blockhead, goof, idiot, numskull, oaf, soft, stupid), ‏أحمق (ass, barmy, berk, bonkers, brutish, childish, chuckle-head, chump, cuckoo, daft, empty, empty headed, fantastic, fat, fathead, fatuous, foolish, footless, goofy, goon, haywire, idiotic, impolitic, imprudent, indiscreet, inept, injudicious, insensate, jerk, lemon, mad, meaningless, nit, nitwit, nonsensical, numskull, ornery, oyster, perverse, pointless, prat, screwball, senseless, sod, stupid, unwise, vacant, wacky, weak, weak-minded, whacky, witless, wood-headed). (various references)

Bulgarian 

смешник (funnyman, funster, jester, merry andrew, mime, scaramouch), смахнат човек (loon, nut, screwball, wittol), смахнат (bughouse, crack-brained, cracked, cracky, dippy, kinky, mental, nutty, off one's rocker, potty, queer, soft, touched, up the pole, wacky), шут (cutup, fool, jester, merry andrew, mime, poll, scaramouch, shot), клоун (clown, funnyman, harlequin, mountebank, punchinello, the vice), глуповат (apish, moony, opaque, owlish, simple minded, slow witted), глупак (bird brained, blinker, boeotian, bonehead, boob, booby, calf, chuckle-head, clod, clot, coot, dodo, dotterel, driveler, dummy, fathead, flat, fool, gaby, gawk, goof, goon, gowk, greenhorn, gull, hammerhead, jackass, jobbernowl, lack-brain, lame brain, leather-head, lunkhead, muggins, mutt, mutton head, ninny, nitwit, noddy, noodle, numskull, nutter, oaf, pudding-head, pumpkin-head, sap, sap-head, schmo, schnook, sheep's head, silly, simp, simple, simpleton, spoon, stupe, stupid, thickhead, tomfool, twit, witling, wittol, zombie), палячовски (clownish), палячо (buffoon, clown, fool, goon, jester, tomfool). (various references)

Chinese 

滑稽 (Facetious, funny). (various references)

Czech

ztřeštìný (crazy, featherbrained, wildcat), kašpar (buffoon, clown), hroznì komický, bláznivý (crackpot, crazy, loco, mad, wild), šašek (antics, clown, fool, jester, merry andrew, mimic, squirt). (various references)

Farsi 

میمون صفت , مقلد (Clown, Imitator), مسخره (Clown, Dult, Fool, Hobbyhorse, Irony, Jeer, Mockery, Mower, Rustic, Sikt, Spoof, Witticism), لوده (Buffoon, Clown, Fool, Hobbyhorse), ادم انگل , ادم ابله . (various references)

French

toqué, niais, gogo, dingue, crétin (zanily), cinglé, bouffon. (various references)

German

verrückt (Batty, crack-brained, crazily, crazy, daft, daisy, demented, dementedly, insane, insanely, kinky, kooky, loco, loony, lunatic, mad, madly, mentally unbalanced, mind-boggling, nuts, potty, psycho, raving, scatty, screwy, unbalanced, wackily, wacky, whimsical, wild), Speichellecker, Kriecher, narr (fool, goop, jester), irrsinnig komisch, Hanswurst, Possenreisser, hanswurst (buffoon, clown, fool, harlequin, jester, pantaloon, tomfool), blödes, blöd, blöde, blöd (cruddy, daft, dense, densely, dopey, funny, idiotic, imbecile, imbecilic, naff, silly, stupid, stupidly, zanily). (various references)

Greek 

γελωτοποιόσ (buffoon, clown, jester, merry andrew), βλάκασ (booby, chump, coot, dimwit, dolt, dope, duffer, gander, goof, goon, gudgeon, ignoramus, imbecile, jackass, lummox, moron, mutt, nincompoop, noodle, oaf, simp, simpleton, slob, stupid, sucker, tomfool), βλαξ (goon, gudgeon, imbecile, lummox, simp, simpleton, slob, stupid, tomfool), μωρόσ (crass, driveller, fatuous, food, fool, foolish, goofy, idiotic, moron, ninny, simp, simpleton, spoony, vacuous, witless), παλαβός. (various references)

Hebrew 

מוקיון (buffoon, clown, harlequin, stooge), ליצן (buffoon, clown, droll, fool, harlequin, jack-pudding, jester, scoffer, wag), טפשי ומצחיק. (various references)

Hungarian

bohóc (buffoon, clown, droll, funny man, funnyman, harlequin, merry andrew, pierrot). (various references)

Indonesian

sangat lucu, orang yang sangat lucu, amat jenaka. (various references)

Italian

buffone (buffoon, clown, droll, fool, jester, joker). (various references)

Manx

fo-vonkan, blebbin (buffoon, earlobe, laughing stock, pawn, silly person, simpleton, sucker). (various references)

Pig Latin

anyzay.(various references)

Portuguese

simplório (calvish, cuddy, cully, dotterel, gaby, gander, goose, juggins, lummox, muggins, mutt, natural, nincompoop, ninny, ninny-hammer, noddy, noodle, oaf, pigeon, prodigy, sawney, simp, simple, simple-minded, simpleton, soft, softhead, softy, spoon, spoony, sucker, weak, woodcock), pessoa dada a palhaçadas, pateta (batty, booby, calf, chuckle-head, chump, clod-poll, coot, cracky, crazy, cuddy, daft, dolt, doodle, driveller, dumb, dupe, fanny, fat-head, fool, gander, gawk, goof, goofy, goose, idiot, jackanapes, jay, jolterhead, josser, juggins, know-nothing, loggerhead, looby, lubber-head, lummox, mooncalf, mutt, mutton-headed, natural, nincompoop, ninny, ninny-hammer, nitwitted, noddy, noodle, numskull, oaf, poop, prodigy, pudding-head, rattle-brained, rattle-headed, sawney, silly, simp, simpleton, slob, softhead, softy, spoony, stupid, sucker, tomfool, tom-noddy), bobo (buffoon, clown, droll, fool, goof, gull, half-wit, idiot, imbecile, jerk, jester, lout, merry andrew, ninny, ninny-hammer, pantaloon, scaramouch, silly, stupid), ajudante de palhaço. (various references)

Romanian

prostãnac (Cully, daft, dolt, fat, fat-head, gowk, gudgeon, hobbledehoy, noodle, nut, pigeon, soft-headed, tomfool), paiaţã (harlequin, weathercock), neghiob (blockhead, booby, clumsy, dolt, dullard, foolish, lubber-head, sheep, sheepish, silly, simpleton, stupid), mãscãrici nebun, caraghios (antic, blockhead, booby, buffoon, comic, dolt, eccentric, fool, foolish, funny, ridiculous, ridiculously, screaming, singular, strange), bufon (antic, buffoon, butt, cut up, fool, harlequin, jester, merry andrew, mugger, pantaloon). (various references)

Russian 

фигляр (cutup, merry andrew, mountebank, mugger, mummer), шут (buffoon, clown, droll, fool, harlequin, jester, man of motley, merry andrew, mountebank, tomfool), недотепа, любитель валять дурака/ дурашливый. (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

lakrdijaški (burlesque, farcical), lakrdijaš (buffoon, jester, macaroon, pantaloon, pierrot, punchinello). (various references)

Spanish

loco (amok, amuck, barmy, bonkers, bugs, crack-brained, cracky, crazed, crazy, daft, demented, deranged, distraught, dunce, fogey, half wit, haywire, hectic, idiot, jenny ass, juggins, lemon, loony, loose, mad, madman, nutty, out of one's mind, round the bend, up the pole, wall eyed, wet, whacky, wild), estrafalario (bizarre, eccentric, extravagant, fancy, incongruous, odd, outlandish, screwball, sloppy, slovenly, tacky, wack, wild), disparatado (absurd, crazy, goofy, mad, nonsensical, piffling, unrealistic, wild), de payaso, cómico (amusing, comedian, comic, comical, entertaining, funny, humorous, laughable, player), bufo/n, bufón (buffoon, clown, fool, jester, merry andrew). (various references)

Swedish

dumbom (bonehead, dunce, fool, gaby, goof, goon, idiot, innocent, jobbernowl, jolterhead, lack-brain, Looby, loon, ninny, ninny-hammer, nitwit, poop, pumpkin-head, sap, silly, simp, simple simon, simpleton, stupid). (various references)

Turkish

soytarı (buffoon, clown, fool, harlequin, jester, Judy, merry andrew), palyaço (buffoon, clown, harlequin, pierrot), maskara (antic, buffoon, butt, fool, jester, laughing stock, laughingstock, mascara, masquerader, mummer, wanton), budala (barren, chucklehead, chumpish, clod, clownish, doltish, dreary, dullish, fool, jackass, juggins, noddy, noodle, prune, sappy, simple simon, soft, twit). (various references)

Ukrainian

смішний (amusing, boffo, capricious, comic, comical, droll, funny, laughable, ludicrous, risible), роззява (calf, caravan, chaw-bacon, cuckoo, goose, softy, yak), фіглярський (antic), кумедний (amusing, funny, killing, laughable, priceless, side-splitting), йолоп (banana-head, blunderbuss, boob, calf, caravan, chuckle-head, clod, clot, dimwit, fathead, gawk, loggerhead, mutt, nincompoop, nitwit, noodle, numskull, poop, saphead), лакуза, блазень (antic, aper, banana, buffoon, clown, harlequin, jester, motley, mountebank, owl-glass, tomfool), блазенський (clownish), підлабузник (back scratcher, bootlicker, camp follower, crawler, earthworm, flunkey, groveller, onhanger, reptile, sneak). (various references)

Vietnamese 

người ngu (log), người đần (imbecile, pudding-head). (various references)

zani, zanni. (various references)

Derivations

Words beginning with "zany": zanyish. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Zany" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: jany, Nzang, oany, sany, sayn, vany, zacy, zady, zaen, Zagni, zagy, zan, zana, zanc, zand, zandy, zane, zaney, zang, zani, zania, zanie, zank, zanky, zanly, zanny, zano, zanq, zans, zanty, zanu, zanyu, zary, zay, zayn, Zayniyya, zean, zen, zeni, zenn, zery, zey, Zhangyi, zincy, zini, zinie, zinl, zinn, zinny, zinq, zinu, ziny, ziy, zoan, zoney, zoni, zonie, zonv, zoony, zun. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: any, nay.

-2 letters: an, ay, na, ya.

+1 letter: zayin.

+2 letters: byzant, nazify, snazzy, zanily, zayins, zonary.

+3 letters: analyze, byzants, kyanize, lazying, uncrazy, zanyish, zonally, zymosan.

+4 letters: analyzed, analyzer, analyzes, blazonry, brazenly, bryozoan, denazify, janizary, kyanized, kyanizes, polyzoan, yokozuna, zymosans.

+5 letters: amazingly, analyzers, analyzing, apoenzyme, blazingly, bryozoans, byzantine, dialyzing, enzymatic, hydrazine, hydrozoan, kyanizing, lazybones, nazifying, polyzoans, reanalyze, tyrannize, yokozunas, zemindary.