Standard Lemma guide

cockamamie

adj · noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌkɒk.əˈmeɪ.mi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, US: /ˌkɑ.kəˈmeɪ.mi/
  • Australian: /ˌkɔk.əˈmæɪ.mi/
  • rhymes with -eɪmi
  • CMU ARPABET: K AO2 K AH0 M EY1 M IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Foolish, ill-considered, silly, unbelievable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Examples

  • Do not give any more cockamamie reasons for failing to complete your assignment.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: goofy, sappy, unreasonable, asinine, balmy, barmy, bedaft, loony, daft, derpy, dim-headed, dim-witted, dopey, dull-headed, dull-witted, dumb, duncical, fatuous, fuzzy-headed, fuzzy-minded, gauvison, idiotic, idle, insipient, mookish, naive, silly, simple, slight, slow-witted, softheaded, soft in the head, sottish, stupid, thick, unsage, unwise, wool-headed, woolly-headed, woolly-minded, crackpot, dense, absurd, Laputan, cockamamie, cockeyed, farcical, foolish, full of it, irrational, inconsistent, incongruous, jabberwocky, laughable, ludicrous, nonsensical, preposterous, priceless, rich, ridiculous, skimble-skamble

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Trifling.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A decal, a design that can be transferred to a surface.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, dated, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A foolish or ridiculous person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: alcatote, asshat, arsehole, asshole, bayard, berk, birdbrain, blither, bobchin, bonehead, bozo, buffoon, brickhead, Charlie, chucklehead, chowderhead, chump, clart, clown, der-brain, dill pickle, dim bulb, dimwit, dingleberry, dipshit, dipstick, dirtbrain, div, divvo, divvy, dolt, donk, doodle, doofus, dope, dork, dote, dotterel, dullard, dumbass, dumbbell, dumbo, dumb fuck, dummy, dunce, dunderhead, dupe, fathead, fenderhead, fiddle, fuckwit, fuzznut, geck, gig, gink, goober, gooseberry, gowk, gubbins, gump, half-baked, ha'p'orth, Homer Simpson, ignoramus, imbecile, jamoke, jerk, jerkoff, jolterhead, jolthead, juggins, jughead, knucklehead, lamebrain, mameluke (US (Italian-American), slang), maroon, meathead, mong, moron, mug, muggins, mushhead, nimrod, nincompoop, nit, nitwit, not the sharpest knife in the drawer, numskull, numps, numpty, nupson, oaf, pillock, pinhead, plonker, prat, retard, shit for brains, shithead, shitwit, schmo, schmuck, smooth brain, snapperhead, softhead, sohai, sot, stupid, sucker, thickhead, tonto, tool, tosser, tosspot, tubelight, twat, twerp, twit, wally, wantwit, wazzock, yampy

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Ridiculousness; folly; foolish nonsense.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

ludicrous, foolish

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • gave me a cockamamie reason for not going
  • wore a goofy hat
  • a silly idea
  • some wacky plan for selling more books

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cockamamy, goofy, sappy, silly, wacky, whacky, zany

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Possible corruption of French décalcomanie (“process of transferring designs onto surfaces using decals”); sometimes erroneously claimed to derive from Yiddish.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: dwaas — foolish, silly
  • Dutch: stom — foolish, silly
  • Dutch: onnozel — foolish, silly
  • German: verrückt — foolish, silly
  • German: unvernünftig — foolish, silly
  • Russian: вздорный (vzdornyj) — foolish, silly
  • Dutch: doortrekplaat — decal
  • Dutch: nar — foolish or ridiculous person
  • Dutch: dwaas — foolish or ridiculous person