as in insanity
lack of good sense or judgment
what zaniness possessed you to take a mental health day when you knew that the head honcho would be visiting?
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Recent Examples of zaniness
As was the case in the first season as well, the finale escalates to a place of thrilling zaniness, with a little less ultimate emotional gravitas this time around.
—
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
But the draft traditionally ratchets up quarterback zaniness.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
Some critics found the zaniness of Bale’s ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ number (an homage to Mel Brooks comedy Young Frankenstein) hysterically brilliant, while others didn’t get the joke.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
Plenty of moments on The Fall-Off remind of the hunger of his early mixtapes, the purposeful thrills of his 2010s hits, or even the misguided zaniness of KOD, though none materialize in meaningful doses.
—Benny Sun, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
The frothy zaniness was, of course, one of Barry’s Hollywood calling cards, but there always were serious themes submerged underneath.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
The ensemble comedy garnered critical praise for its steady stream of zaniness and quickly gained a reputation for deftly skewering suburban life while still maintaining a general sweetness of tone.
—Will Harris, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
Animated by an irreverent zaniness, Egger’s poetry fuses elements drawn from contemporary idiom and from lyric tradition to render a surreal world that interrogates existential questions about desire and grief.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Crowds jumped, chanted and leaned into the sense of communal rebellion, all while celebrating the band's zaniness.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Oct. 2025
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
But the draft traditionally ratchets up quarterback zaniness.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
Some critics found the zaniness of Bale’s ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ number (an homage to Mel Brooks comedy Young Frankenstein) hysterically brilliant, while others didn’t get the joke.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
Plenty of moments on The Fall-Off remind of the hunger of his early mixtapes, the purposeful thrills of his 2010s hits, or even the misguided zaniness of KOD, though none materialize in meaningful doses.
—Benny Sun, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
The frothy zaniness was, of course, one of Barry’s Hollywood calling cards, but there always were serious themes submerged underneath.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
The ensemble comedy garnered critical praise for its steady stream of zaniness and quickly gained a reputation for deftly skewering suburban life while still maintaining a general sweetness of tone.
—Will Harris, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
Animated by an irreverent zaniness, Egger’s poetry fuses elements drawn from contemporary idiom and from lyric tradition to render a surreal world that interrogates existential questions about desire and grief.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Crowds jumped, chanted and leaned into the sense of communal rebellion, all while celebrating the band's zaniness.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zaniness
Noun
-
The assassination attempt failed — and Hinckley was arrested, tried and found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982.—
Kelsie Cairns,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
His acquittal, which led to a public outcry, had an impact on the federal insanity defense — leading to a shift in the burden of proof.—
Katrina Kaufman,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The priests argued that madness was a punishment from the gods and that healing came through repentance, along with sacrifices that helped maintain the temple’s operations.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The final round of fixtures on Saturday is going to be madness.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This was the most straightforward, efficient episode of the season, pleasurable in its simplicity, with only one gimmick (the to-go orders) that barely made a difference to the episode’s outcome.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
-
That simplicity is an advantage that baseball has over hockey, where everything moves so much faster and the plays don’t happen in discrete chunks.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And that’s the absurdity of this whole thing.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
-
That’s the kind of hands-on absurdity that makes a road trip memorable.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But for now, the iconic Saratoga farm is a bucolic retreat from the craziness of Silicon Valley.—
Laura Ness,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2026
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But worry not, the podcast episode goes live tomorrow — alongside a new way to explore this craziness.—
Eric Mandel,
AJC.com,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Fashion Week wackiness ensues, but critics can’t get too enthused for it.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Speaking of which, the soundtrack also overdoses a bit on the calculated wackiness of vintage cuts by Bonzo Dog Band, the Monty Python-adjacent 1960s British novelty music act.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Zaniness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zaniness. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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