zaniness
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za·ny
(zā′nē)adj. za·ni·er, za·ni·est
Comical or ludicrous because of incongruity or strangeness.
n. pl. za·nies
1. A comical person given to extravagant or outlandish behavior.
2. A ludicrous, buffoonish character in old comedies who attempts feebly to mimic the tricks of the clown.
[French zani, from Italian dialectal zanni, from Zanni, variant of Italian Gianni, nickname for Giovanni, John, the name of servants who act as clowns in commedia dell'arte.]
za′ni·ly adv.
za′ni·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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zaniness
noun1. The quality of being laughable or comical:
2. Foolish behavior:
absurdity, folly, foolery, foolishness, idiocy, imbecility, insanity, lunacy, madness, nonsense, preposterousness, senselessness, silliness, tomfoolery.
Informal: craziness.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.