screwier; screwiest
1
: very absurd, eccentric, or unusual
a screwy idea
screwy logic
screwy weather
Goldstein realized something was screwy when he went online the next day and looked at his [bank] accounts.David Lazarus
If you're like me, you're thinking, "No way. There's something screwy with that survey." It seems to defy conventional wisdom.Jeff Hawkes
2
: lacking reason or mental soundness
Human beings are a screwy bunch. We'll go to any length to fit an artificial idea of what we ought to be, even if it means confusing ourselves and everyone else in the bargain.Robert Kirby
screwiness noun

Examples of screwy in a Sentence

I knew something was screwy. the counterfeit bills are poorly done and would look screwy to even the untrained eye
Recent Examples on the Web People who worked with psychedelics seem to have been especially adroit at projecting authoritative normality while conducting some very screwy and sometimes quite sinister business behind the scenes. Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024 In a screwy year like this, who knows what's going to happen? Mark Anderson, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024 There's something decidedly screwy about Adele, and Louise comes to realize that there are supernatural forces at work. Danny Horn, EW.com, 24 Jan. 2024 In the previous four series matchups, excluding the screwy 2020 season, FSU had outscored New Mexico 151-23. 12. Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Nov. 2023 In the still-painful dénouement of pandemic-era TV and movie supply-chain chaos, and not quite out from under the dark shadow of last year’s Great Netflix Panic, showbiz revenue streams have arguably never been more screwy. Vulture, 13 Nov. 2023 Christopher Abbott brings another incisively screwy characterization to the story, with a glorious payoff. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2023 People complain about opera productions — screwy stagings — but no one ever does anything about it. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 27 July 2023 This study concentrated not on the post-Covid period, which is screwy in all sorts of ways that are now receding, but on the past decade. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 10 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'screwy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of screwy was in 1887

Dictionary Entries Near screwy

Cite this Entry

“Screwy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/screwy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

screwy

adjective
screwier; screwiest
1
: oddly different and unfamiliar
knew something was screwy
2
: crazy sense 1, insane
completely screwy people
screwiness noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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