as in silly
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
she's always off on some screwball plan
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in eccentric
a person of odd or whimsical habits
a screwball who liked to save lint and bits of string
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of screwball
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
Yes, this is a script that figured a big-budget gangster-monster epic could also manage to fit a screwball buddy comedy.
—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
Ethan Hanson,
Daily News,
4 June 2026
This is especially apparent in scenes with multiple characters speaking, recalling 1930s American screwball comedies with a dash of French realism.
—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for screwball
Adjective
This is about family life for Malcolm, who spent his childhood caught in the middle of his family’s side-splitting, screwball dysfunction.
—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
Yes, this is a script that figured a big-budget gangster-monster epic could also manage to fit a screwball buddy comedy.
—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
Guillen swung at a screwball tossed by Ramirez and hit a towering home run into over the left field fence to tie the game 1-1 and send the game into extra innings.
—
Ethan Hanson,
Daily News,
4 June 2026
This is especially apparent in scenes with multiple characters speaking, recalling 1930s American screwball comedies with a dash of French realism.
—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for screwball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwball
Adjective
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Every player with a pulse had six suitors throwing silly money around.
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Some scenes in the movie are light and silly, including those pairing Maddie with a lesbian friend, played by Kate Berlant, who clearly loves her.
Noun
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With its loose ends and digressions, Dream Me a Dream stays true to those idiosyncratic instincts while retaining enough of the welcoming glow of Dance of Love to make this an affecting farewell from an endearing eccentric.
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The eccentric cuz is quick to try and help Bobby solve problems, which often gets him into trouble, but ultimately pushes him out of his shell.
Adjective
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The 41-year-old is still an elite NBA player, which is still an absurd reality to consider.
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The thesis rests on a claim that would have sounded absurd a year ago.
Noun
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There was a small card with a graphic that pictured Wiley walking in the middle of Bluey and Bingo, two characters from the show.
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Her refusal to sugarcoat the interior and exterior lives of her characters, whether enslaved or traumatized by the past — by events in American history — was purposeful.
Adjective
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And no, that was NOT OutKick or FOX who wrote that stupid headline.
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The thing about House of the Dragon is that everything really is quite stupid.
Noun
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Many audiences may recognize him best as the shirtless, nunchuck-wielding oddball in the coming-of-age classic Ghost World (2001).
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Black Rock Coalition bands like funk-metal group 24-7 Spyz and shoegaze oddballs the Veldt—particularly when the Veldt’s murkiness resolves into a major-key chorus.
Adjective
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Further, Plato’s disdain for Gorgias, Antisthenes’ first teacher, and sophistry in general is clear; in the Platonic dialogue Gorgias, the titular character is made out to be rather foolish.
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One is villianized and one is made to look foolish.
Noun
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Released at Watches and Wonders in April, the latest iteration retains the original’s 39 mm steel case, but has a few important technical and aesthetic upgrades.
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Now the game’s future is looking decidedly brighter and many more players of the original may be tempted to give the sequel a second chance.
Cite this Entry
“Screwball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwball. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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