William Gifford
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.
Examples of zany in a Sentence
Gus Alexiou, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
Cyclists competing in the 2025 Tour de France rumbled into the city of Toulouse on Wednesday, July 16, and some of them no doubt reflected on the handful of compelling—and downright zany—situations to come out of the event’s first 11 stages.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 16 July 2025
There is much within Wheeldon’s zany world for everyone to admire.
—Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
Few would list To Be or Not to Be as one of Brooks' classics like The Producers or Blazing Saddles, but the movie — which is actually a remake of an Ernst Lubitsch film from 1942 — is notable for being a mix of Brooks' usual zany antics with a bit of a dramatic plot.
—EW.com, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for zany
Cite this Entry
“Zany.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zany. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
zany
2 of 2 adjective
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