as in clowning
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
it was clownery like that that resulted in an expensive vase being broken
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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
-
The clowning might be a little too effortful.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
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As the race unfolds in real time, there’s clowning, collisions, sabotage, surprises, comedy, chaos and more.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The show, with its interest in corporate buffoonery, doesn’t quite manage to hand-wave away the queasy implications.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
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Receivers have cratered seasons with me-over-we buffoonery.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Sometimes a playful comment, an unexpected reply or a joking callout between brands takes on a life of its own online.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
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Despite that underlying tension, kids play on the street outside while the large family has a dynamic like any other — noisily squabbling, joking, or in the case of the matriarchal grandmother, Mariam (Hiam Abbass), preparing a meal in a kitchen plagued by constant utility outages.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The latest tomfoolery consisted of a posting on Twitter/X last week that provided a picture of a genuine Monet painting, and the picture was labeled as supposedly being AI-generated.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
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Warm temperatures should keep the snow from causing too much traffic tomfoolery on Tuesday, but by the evening, roads are likely to turn slick, Danielson said.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
Noun
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After France’s 4-3 victory against Argentina at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, horseplay between the players at the team hotel culminated in back-up centre-back Adil Rami setting off a fire extinguisher in the early hours of the morning.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
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Once, before the stabbing, Malik chased Yahkeim with a knife during horseplay.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
5 May 2026
Noun
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But this was no monkey business April Fool’s joke.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
4 June 2026
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Barnett was the second Mississippi resident to take the monkey business into their own hands.—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The slapstick titles—Crackned Horsez, To of Them, Ape Island, all 1972—further stymied any straightforwardly polemical takeaway.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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While tossing old mementos into a fireplace, Long catches on fire in a wild slapstick sequence.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clownery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clownery. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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