SCREWBALL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does screwball mean? 

• SCREWBALL (noun)
  The noun SCREWBALL has 2 senses:

1. a whimsically eccentric person

2. a pitch with reverse spin that curves toward the side of the plate from which it was thrown

  Familiarity information: SCREWBALL used as a noun is rare.

• SCREWBALL (adjective)
  The adjective SCREWBALL has 1 sense:

1. foolish; totally unsound

  Familiarity information: SCREWBALL used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SCREWBALL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A whimsically eccentric person

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

crackpot; crank; fruitcake; nut; nut case; screwball

Hypernyms ("screwball" is a kind of...):

eccentric; eccentric person; flake; geek; oddball (a person with an unusual or odd personality)

Derivation:

screwball (foolish; totally unsound)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A pitch with reverse spin that curves toward the side of the plate from which it was thrown

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("screwball" is a kind of...):

delivery; pitch ((baseball) the act of throwing a baseball by a pitcher to a batter)

• SCREWBALL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Foolish; totally unsound

Synonyms:

crazy; half-baked; screwball; softheaded

Context example:

a screwball proposal without a prayer of working

Similar:

impractical (not practical; not workable or not given to practical matters)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Derivation:

screwball (a whimsically eccentric person)