as in boorish
having or showing crudely insensitive or impolite manners
the clownish antics of some of the teenagers at the wedding reception
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Recent Examples of clownish
The suit also paints a clownish portrait of the entrepreneur, portraying him as pompous, shameless, and untrustworthy.
—
Rachel Corbett, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2025
But Victor leans less into clownish mortification than her predecessors, making room instead for a delicate quietude and sincerity.
—Jon Frosch, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Redheads often fielded comments related to having a hot temper, being clownish, weirdness, Irishness, not capable of being in the sun, being wild (among women), wimpy (among men), and intellectually superior.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 19 Jan. 2025
As vice-president, Kamala Harris was generally regarded as unimpressive and slightly clownish, with her banal repetitions and too-frequent outbursts of too-exuberant laughter.
—Avi Nelson, Boston Herald, 30 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Rachel Corbett, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2025
But Victor leans less into clownish mortification than her predecessors, making room instead for a delicate quietude and sincerity.
—Jon Frosch, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Redheads often fielded comments related to having a hot temper, being clownish, weirdness, Irishness, not capable of being in the sun, being wild (among women), wimpy (among men), and intellectually superior.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 19 Jan. 2025
As vice-president, Kamala Harris was generally regarded as unimpressive and slightly clownish, with her banal repetitions and too-frequent outbursts of too-exuberant laughter.
—Avi Nelson, Boston Herald, 30 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clownish
Adjective
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His boorish behavior was condemned by others silently and did not affect the solemnity of the ceremony.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
10 June 2025
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While the boorish behavior of Twain’s shipmates is cataloged throughout (snapping off pieces of ancient monuments for souvenirs, for instance), his most flamboyant portrayal is a self-portrait.—
Caity Weaver,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Instead, the series seems determined to prove that age is just a number by forcing its leads, now including Choudhury and Parker, to act as if 50 is the new (and very stupid) 30.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
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Jurassic Park, based on the Michael Crichton best-seller, is an evolutionary joke: Man, the master of the universe, has become mere flesh, consumed by animals allegedly too stupid to survive.—
David Denby,
Vulture,
3 July 2025
Adjective
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This includes uncouth habits like bad hygiene, inconsiderate acts like being self-centered or a violation of social norms.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
-
Even at a cautious pace, the Escort feels raw and uncouth.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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This was like loutish English tourists turning up unannounced and urinating in the holy water.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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And Gandolfini, who died of a heart attack in 2013 at age 51, was the show’s tempestuous soul, playing a loutish killer with a quick temper and sad eyes.—
Chris Vognar,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Private ownership is eliminated with the goal of all goods being equally shared in a classless society.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
-
For example, in Stalin’s communism, monism took the form of believing that the key is to establish a classless society — even if millions of people had to be killed to achieve that vision.—
Sigal Samuel,
Vox,
7 Dec. 2018
Adjective
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And refusing to congratulate his SIL is just churlish.—
Stephanie Guerilus,
People.com,
21 June 2025
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An office that demands wisdom and restraint is now debased with churlish impulsivity, rambling incoherency and overt grift.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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Nan’s rebellion was never loud or vulgar but always quietly confident and effortlessly elegant.—
Felicity Carter,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
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The comics were often dismissed as a vulgar form, but the bad joke of our superhero-movie culture is that most of it is a vulgarization of the comics.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clownish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clownish. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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