as in clowning
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
it was clownery like that that resulted in an expensive vase being broken
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clownery
As for Abdul-Mateen, the clownery will resume for him on Broadway.
—
Jessica Wang, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2022
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
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
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
Jessica Wang, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2022
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clownery
Noun
-
Art, meanwhile, occupies a lonely table in the pizzeria and tries to put on his best clowning act for the two women.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
-
As with older clowning traditions, the early American circus clowns were adults performing taboo acts to shock and delight other adults.—
Time,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Death by Lightning, adapted by Mike Makowsky from Candice Millard’s 2011 nonfiction book and directed by Matt Ross, hums with the strength of these performances, particularly Shannon’s quiet composure and Macfadyen mining new depths of buffoonery.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
-
Scholz-Carlson’s staging pushes against the deep misogyny of Da Ponte’s libretto by accentuating the buffoonery of the two male romantic leads.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Cole follows up with a joking request to appear on an interlude on the forthcoming project, then asks whether West could send him a care package of clothes — which West agrees to — before exiting the stage.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
28 Dec. 2025
-
Our poll’s options include a joking reference to Dan Marino.—
Greg Cote
December 20,
Miami Herald,
20 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
But enough of all that tomfoolery, because there is one person on the beach who knows exactly what is about to happen!—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
-
This prevalence, however, has led to widespread quality-control tomfoolery.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
There was reportedly no horseplay or swerving during the ride, according to 9News.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
22 Dec. 2025
-
But what had once been raucous and raunchy mischief, was now benign horseplay.—
Time,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Barnett was the second Mississippi resident to take the monkey business into their own hands.—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The monkey business is dominated by a handful of highly secretive and rivalrous brokers.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Park stages Man-su’s homicide attempts as slapstick set pieces in which our clumsy antihero himself barely gets out alive.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Lee throws himself into all of it with a sad-sack slapstick energy that never undercuts—and, remarkably, even enhances—the psychological acuity of his acting.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
23 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clownery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clownery. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share