SCREWBALL Synonyms: 177 Similar and Opposite Words

screwball 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of screwball

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

screwball

2 of 2

noun

ˈskrü-ˌbȯl

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of screwball

Adjective

The alternately suspenseful and silly scene nicely sets up the tone for this new season, which is infused with references to classic Westerns as much as screwball comedies. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026 Of all contemporary Gallic stars, Lellouche and Demoustier already feel slightly out of time, their features recalling both silent-era performers and screwball archetypes. — Ben Croll, IndieWire, 12 May 2026

Noun

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 The screwball comedy is one of the great gifts that 1930s Hollywood gave us, but that genre didn’t win too many awards. — Jordan Hoffman, Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for screwball

Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwball

Adjective

Playing the part largely for laughs, Moore actually has more in common with Lazenby than Connery; his Bond is softer and sillier than the original, an approach Moore would double down on in later films — often to the chagrin of Bond purists.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2026
For Lance Oppenheim, Primetime’s DNA resides inside a silly Cameo video.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of silly

Noun

Make sure to practice a full range of motion with these and emphasize the eccentric (the way down) part of the movement for maximal time under tension and muscle-building stimulus.

— Jakob Roze, HEALTH, 19 Aug. 2026
No documentarian has a better eye for intriguing oddballs than Errol Morris, who built his feature film career on drawing them out in conversation, from pet-cemetery owners in Gates of Heaven to small-town eccentrics in Vernon, Florida.

— Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of eccentric

Adjective

Video games are one of the world’s most dominant storytelling mediums, yet the writing is often dismissed — not always unfairly — as melodramatic, overly serious and occasionally very stupid.

— Gene Park, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
Bonnell The enthusiast’s approach Bonnell’s team uses matters because electric motorcycles have an annoying tendency to make power delivery either spectacularly good or spectacularly stupid.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of stupid

Noun

Behold the plight of the Ryan Murphy character, cursed to behave nonsensically and flit wildly from plotline to plotline based on the writer’s whims.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
At the center, a Geometric CNC Fuller visually reduces the mass of the blade while reinforcing Razorbill's distinctive multi-faceted character.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of character

Adjective

The Appalachian Trail is absolutely brutal The distance alone is obviously absurd, but mileage is only part of what makes the AT such a beast.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
The selection process does not judge whether a study is admirable or absurd, good or bad.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of absurd

Noun

No documentarian has a better eye for intriguing oddballs than Errol Morris, who built his feature film career on drawing them out in conversation, from pet-cemetery owners in Gates of Heaven to small-town eccentrics in Vernon, Florida.

— Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
The Ramones stood on stage not as rock gods or unattainable heroes, but as oddballs, misfits, and fellow outcasts in torn jeans.

— Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026

Definition of oddball

Noun

Joey King plays Sally’s other daughter, Kylie, while Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as the spell-casting sisters from the 1998 original.

— Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 28 Aug. 2026
Manifest creator Jeff Rake is teaming with Margaret Easley and Laura Putney, writers and co-executive producers on the original, for Arrivals.

— Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of original

Browse Nearby Words

screw around

screwball

screwballs

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Screwball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwball. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of screwball

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

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