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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clownish
Pratt, who long cultivated a clownish and villainous persona, leveraged his significant social media presence following the fire to refashion himself as an earnest mix of citizen watchdog and populist firebrand.
—
Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
Switcheroo is all snappy disco, clownish house, and musical sight gags.
—Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2025
The combo together ensures that the lip doesn't look clownish.
—Sarah Hoffmann, Allure, 3 Oct. 2025
In part, because there was something fascinating about the clownish way their once cutting-edge images no longer fit.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
Switcheroo is all snappy disco, clownish house, and musical sight gags.
—Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2025
The combo together ensures that the lip doesn't look clownish.
—Sarah Hoffmann, Allure, 3 Oct. 2025
In part, because there was something fascinating about the clownish way their once cutting-edge images no longer fit.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clownish
Adjective
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Entitled also makes a compelling case that Andrew is—to put it delicately—boorish and dim.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
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An exodus of prosecutors who didn’t care for his staff screaming sessions and boorish press conferences.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And to be perfectly fair, nervous gratuitous laughter at stupid jokes is not unknown among anyone, including the press corps.—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
24 Feb. 2026
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Above all else, avoid the stupid mistakes that lead to injury, illness, and evacuation from the game.—
Kristen Geil,
Outside,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Onscreen, Heathcliff has been represented over the years as a hunky-if-uncouth white man played by the likes of Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, and Ralph Fiennes.—
Jasmine Vojdani,
Vulture,
10 Feb. 2026
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An evening revue of wild, uncouth performance art by local artists, emphasizing work that is often discouraged elsewhere.—
Kirby Adams,
Louisville Courier Journal,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Mays’ Salieri is at once aghast at such loutish behavior and bitterly envious that Mozart is exceptional enough to get away with it.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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Vance’s tone was loutish in the distinctive, and tiresome, Trump way.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Communism, in its traditional definition, describes a system in which private property is abolished and the means of production are collectively owned, with the goal of creating a classless society.—
Cameron Schoppa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Louis Hartz maintained that the hegemony of liberal thought, with its vaunting of the classless individual, made Marxists politically superfluous.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Assuming this is something beyond Trumpian posturing, and that’s unclear, any such decision would not only be churlish and cruel but poorly targeted.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
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Kay hasn’t acted since before Marty was born, and Marty never breaks character — they were made for a churlish May-December affair that unlocks something in them both.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
1 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Colt Gray sent grandmother concerning texts In her testimony, Polhamus reviewed several angry, vulgar text messages from Colt Gray that showed his spiraling mental health and penchant for outbursts.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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Brush was also behind an 1898 National League rule that prohibited indecent, vulgar or obscene language.—
Libby Cierzniak,
IndyStar,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clownish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clownish. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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