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spoony

adjective
\ ˈspü-nē How to pronounce spoony (audio) \
variants: or spooney
spoonier; spooniest

Definition of spoony

1 : silly, foolish especially : unduly sentimental
2 : being sentimentally in love
Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about spoony

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Did You Know?

In 19th-century British slang, spoon meant "simpleton (a meaning that may have been influenced by the "shallowness" of some spoons). That use of "spoon" brought about the adjective "spoony" to describe a silly or foolish person. In time, the foolish manner implied by "spoony" began to take on sentimental and amorous overtones, and it soon became the perfect word for those foolishly head over heels in love. Another "spoon" is a verb referring to love-making or necking. That use of "spoon" may stem from a Welsh custom in which an engaged man presented his fiancé with an elaborately carved wooden spoon.

Examples of spoony in a Sentence

the spoony verses of a lovesick soldier to his girl back home

First Known Use of spoony

circa 1812, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for spoony

English slang spoon simpleton

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More from Merriam-Webster on spoony

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with spoony

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for spoony

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