buffoonery

buf·foon·ery | \ (ˌ)bə-ˈfü-nə-rē

How to pronounce buffoonery (audio)

, -ˈfün-rē \

plural buffooneries

Definition of buffoonery

: foolish or playful behavior or practice

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Examples of buffoonery in a Sentence

their madcap buffoonery turned the duo into the nation's hottest comedy act

Recent Examples on the Web Either way, or neither, sheer visual impact seems to be Saul’s aim, in service to an ever-seething personal rage that finds release and takes refuge in double-down buffoonery. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "The In-Your-Face Paintings of Peter Saul," 10 Feb. 2020 Boris Johnson, the third Tory premier in as many years, has a slight physical resemblance to Trump, comparable regard for women, and a governing style that combines buffoonery and demagoguery. — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, "From Little Englanders to Brexiteers," 11 Nov. 2019 Kudrow’s performance, an uncanny blend of buffoonery and heart, is a true marvel. — Darren Franich, EW.com, "The best TV shows of the decade," 5 Dec. 2019 More and more viewers must must be tuning in to The Masked Singer, television’s weekly costume ball of buffoonery, because the stage has a fancy new video projection floor. — Robbie Daw, Billboard, "'The Masked Singer' Recap: Panda Made Extinct By Voters," 3 Oct. 2019 This production simply turned him into a jerky, power-hungry, #MeToo-type white guy, and Cangelosi went to town playing up the character’s officious buffoonery, singing strongly all the while. — Anne Midgette, Washington Post, "Maurice Sendak’s ‘Magic Flute’ brings storybook flair — and familiarity — to WNO," 3 Nov. 2019 Just lately, Taubman has been better known as the Astros’ chief executive in charge of buffoonery. — Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, "Justice at last: Astros fire loudmouth executive Brandon Taubman," 24 Oct. 2019 That the Astros ever held an advantage against him was the benefit from his fielder’s buffoonery, not Paxton’s poor pitching. — Chandler Rome, Houston Chronicle, "Big first inning by Yankees sends Astros to Game 5 loss," 18 Oct. 2019 These Nazis wouldn’t look out of place in a throwback sitcom like ‘Allo ‘Allo! or Hogan’s Heroes—broad TV comedies from earlier decades that got their biggest laughs by playing up the buffoonery and stupidity of the Third Reich. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Jojo Rabbit Is a Fraught Tonal Experiment," 17 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'buffoonery.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

19 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Buffoonery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buffoonery. Accessed 26 Feb. 2020.

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