buffoon

noun

buf·​foon (ˌ)bə-ˈfün 

1

: a ludicrous figure : clown

2

: a gross and usually ill-educated or stupid person

acting like a ridiculous buffoon

buffoonish

(ˌ)bə-ˈfü-nish 

adjective

Synonyms

• buffo
• clown
• harlequin
• zany

Examples of buffoon in a Sentence

Stop acting like a buffoon.

the children at the birthday party giggled at the buffoon's silly tricks

Recent Examples on the Web

Dylan Maxwell could easily have been an unsympathetic buffoon, but there’s a distinct love for (and in most cases, an appreciation of) the people behind the teen archetypes on display. —Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 20 May 2025

Read: Comedy’s most erudite buffoon Mulaney has many advantages at Netflix that his conventional-television peers don’t, however. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2025

Once infused with the diabolical spirit, the guide is transformed into a buffoon, complete with a harlequin outfit—a mad joker and a dancing fool who does a little jig to the sound of a jazz trio. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2025

Washington has become the court of Nero: an incendiary emperor, submissive courtiers, and a buffoon on ketamine tasked with purging the civil service. —Claude Malhuret, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French bouffon, from Old Italian buffone

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for buffoon

• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon
• cartoon
• cocoon
• festoon
• gaboon
• harpoon
• immune
• impugn
• jejune

Kids Definition

buffoon

noun

buf·​foon (ˌ)bə-ˈfün 

1

: clown entry 1 sense 2

2

: a crude or stupid person