Definitions for zany
ˈzeɪ nizany

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.7 / 3 votes

1. zanynoun

   a buffoon in one of the old comedies; imitates others for ludicrous effect

2. fathead, goof, goofball, bozo, jackass, goose, cuckoo, twat, zanyadjective

   a man who is a stupid incompetent fool

3. cockamamie, cockamamy, goofy, sappy, silly, wacky, whacky, zanyadjective

   ludicrous, foolish

   "gave me a cockamamie reason for not going"; "wore a goofy hat"; "a silly idea"; "some wacky plan for selling more books"

4. buffoonish, clownish, clownlike, zanyadjective

   like a clown

   "a buffoonish walk"; "a clownish face"; "a zany sense of humor"

GCIDERate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. zanyadjective

   Comical in a clownish or buffoonish manner; whimsically comical.

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. zanynoun

   A fool or clown.

2. zanyadjective

   ludicrously or incongruously comical

3. zanyadjective

   bizarre, clownish

4. Etymology: From zanni (a kind of masked clown character), itself (when capitalized) a dialectal form of Giovanni.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Zanynoun

   One employed to raise laughter by his gestures, actions and speeches; a merry Andrew; a buffoon.

   Etymology: Probably of zanci.] The contraction of Giovanni or sanna, a scoff, according to Stephen Skinner.

   Some carrytale, some pleaseman, some slight zany,
   Some mumblenews, some trencher knight, some Dick,
   Told our intents before. William Shakespeare.

   Then write that I may follow, and so be
   Thy echo, thy debtor, thy foil, thy zany,
   I shall be thought, if mine like thine I shape,
   All the world’s lion, though I be thy ape. John Donne.

   Oh, great restorer of the good old stage,
   Preacher at once, and zany of thy age. Alexander Pope, Dunciad.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. zany

   Zany refers to a person who is amusingly unconventional, eccentric, idiosyncratic, or bizarre in behavior, appearance, or style. It can also describe something that is comically absurd or wildly unusual.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Zanynoun

   a merry-andrew; a buffoon

2. Zanyverb

   to mimic

3. Etymology: [It. zanni a buffoon, merry-andrew, orig. same as Giovanni John, i. e., merry John, L. Ioannes, Gr. , Heb. Ykhnn, prop., the Lord graciously gave: cf. F. zani, fr. the Italian. Cf. Jenneting.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. Zany

   zā′ni, n. a merry-andrew: a buffoon.—v.t. to play the zany to.—n. Zā′nyism, condition or habits of a buffoon. [Fr. zani—It. zani, a corr. of Giovanni, John. Cf. the similar use of the names John and Jack.]

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. ZANY

   What does ZANY stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the ZANY acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Clown

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce zany?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say zany in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of zany in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of zany in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of zany in a Sentence

1. Linda Cardellini:

   Yeah, if it’s a great story definitely. Kids love it. I hear some 3 or 4 year old kids who can’t speak in complete sentences and they love to talk about Scooby-Doo. It’s fun. It’s really a great character. There’s not a lot of broad, young and smart, crazy, zany characters that you get to play like this. (Cinema Confidential; March 23, 2004)

2. Steve Deace:

   He is clearly the man of the hour from a buzz standpoint, i think with one or two exceptions, the goal of the others is to get him to go from zany to crazy, to self-immolate.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=zany
2. ^ GCIDE
   https://gcide.gnu.org.ua/?q=zany
3. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Zany
4. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=zany
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zany
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=zany
8. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=zany