Goony

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Someone acting in a silly or foolish manner ; a person who is socially awkward or unpleasant
2. An individual displaying foolish behavior ; a person considered unpleasant or clumsy in social situations
3. A person showing silly or unwise conduct ; one who is awkward or disagreeable in manner

Etymology: "Goony" is a plain formation: the noun "goon" with the adjective-forming suffix "-y" added to it. Its base, "goon," is itself the more interesting story. The noun was used in American English for a hired thug or strong-arm man, and the adjective "goony" carries the same clumsy, slightly foolish flavour of a person who is more bluster than brains. The suffix does most of the work here. Adding "-y" to a noun gives the sense "characterised by" or "like," so a goony person is one behaving like a goon in the loose sense of a lumbering, unwise or awkward figure. A shorter form also exists, shortened from "gooney," which points to the same pattern of adjectives built on a noun stem.

Synonyms: silly, foolish, absurd, ridiculous, zany

Antonyms: serious, sensible, practical, focused, calm