clownery
noun
clown·ery
ˈklau̇-nə-rē 
plural clowneries
: clownish behavior or an instance of clownishness : buffoonery
Examples of clownery in a Sentence
it was clownery like that that resulted in an expensive vase being broken
Recent Examples on the Web
Tirhakah Love is a senior writer at New York Magazine and the host of the new evening newsletter Dinner Party, a daily email that touches on all things entertainment — that means film, television, music, tech, and gaming — plus politics and corporate clownery.
—
Vulture, 29 Apr. 2022
The Winx Club live action is a big clownery!
—Olivia Truffaut-Wong, refinery29.com, 25 Jan. 2021
Allow Yahya Abdul-Mateen II to clarify his remarks about Aquaman being the work of clowns with… some clownery.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2022
As for Abdul-Mateen, the clownery will resume for him on Broadway.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2022
Chronicle Books In the world of clownery, tradition has long dictated that a clown must never steal another clown’s look.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 20 Aug. 2018
Seems as if the airlines are still clowning and being targeted with lawsuits because of the clownery.
—Breanna Edwards, The Root, 14 May 2018
DeVos, the country’s most useless white woman and a case study for how institutions both favor and are eroded by white mediocrity, became the literal face of clownery following the appalling interview.
—Anne Branigin, The Root, 12 Mar. 2018
Either one of his performances would have been noteworthy, but that the same person should be playing both parts (as well as that of Mr. Wickham) is a truly stupendous piece of quick-change clownery.
—Terry Teachout, WSJ, 6 July 2017
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Vulture, 29 Apr. 2022
The Winx Club live action is a big clownery!
—Olivia Truffaut-Wong, refinery29.com, 25 Jan. 2021
Allow Yahya Abdul-Mateen II to clarify his remarks about Aquaman being the work of clowns with… some clownery.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2022
As for Abdul-Mateen, the clownery will resume for him on Broadway.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2022
Chronicle Books In the world of clownery, tradition has long dictated that a clown must never steal another clown’s look.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 20 Aug. 2018
Seems as if the airlines are still clowning and being targeted with lawsuits because of the clownery.
—Breanna Edwards, The Root, 14 May 2018
DeVos, the country’s most useless white woman and a case study for how institutions both favor and are eroded by white mediocrity, became the literal face of clownery following the appalling interview.
—Anne Branigin, The Root, 12 Mar. 2018
Either one of his performances would have been noteworthy, but that the same person should be playing both parts (as well as that of Mr. Wickham) is a truly stupendous piece of quick-change clownery.
—Terry Teachout, WSJ, 6 July 2017
Cite this Entry
“Clownery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clownery. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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