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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Recent Examples of clownish
As vice-president, Kamala Harris was generally regarded as unimpressive and slightly clownish, with her banal repetitions and too-frequent outbursts of too-exuberant laughter.
—
Avi Nelson, Boston Herald, 30 Oct. 2024
Its members' firm repudiation of the unqualified and clownish Matt Gaetz for attorney general shows that its members can still stiffen their sinews and summon up the courage to curb President-elect Donald Trump's appetite for surrounding himself with sycophantic boobs.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Before news of the repression broke, many Western media stories about Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov portrayed him as a clownish dictator obsessed with his Instagram account.
—Layla Taimienova, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2017
Over the coming days, the owners of Four Seasons Total Landscaping did their patriotic duty and cashed in on their temporary notoriety, selling souvenirs to commemorate the fiasco; to Trump’s detractors, the debacle epitomized the clownish incompetence that had defined his presidency.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Avi Nelson, Boston Herald, 30 Oct. 2024
Its members' firm repudiation of the unqualified and clownish Matt Gaetz for attorney general shows that its members can still stiffen their sinews and summon up the courage to curb President-elect Donald Trump's appetite for surrounding himself with sycophantic boobs.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Before news of the repression broke, many Western media stories about Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov portrayed him as a clownish dictator obsessed with his Instagram account.
—Layla Taimienova, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2017
Over the coming days, the owners of Four Seasons Total Landscaping did their patriotic duty and cashed in on their temporary notoriety, selling souvenirs to commemorate the fiasco; to Trump’s detractors, the debacle epitomized the clownish incompetence that had defined his presidency.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clownish
Adjective
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Harbour's loud, boorish Russian bear is funny at first, but alas, gets tiresome in a short amount of time.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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In fact, Gideon has looked notably uncomfortable on the righteous path, having inherited none of his father’s preaching skills, much less his boorish bluster.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In one sense, this isn’t an entirely stupid proposition.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
3 May 2025
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Vel rails against the offender, saying her lover was the kind of warrior the Ghor rebels are trying to be and that her loss is both incalculable and stupid.—
Noel Murray,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Shawn wrestles without any grace here, his normal perfection replaced by him furiously trying to prevent the inevitable passing of the torch moment to Steve Austin, who himself is naturally uncouth in the ring.—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
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President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s wheelchair was famously hidden from the public, though his ailment was not necessarily a secret, just considered uncouth to talk about.—
Haisten Willis,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And Gandolfini, who died of a heart attack in 2013 at age 51, was the show’s tempestuous soul, playing a loutish killer with a quick temper and sad eyes.—
Chris Vognar,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
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Even Lochlan and Piper, who think of themselves as more enlightened than their loutish brother and materialistic parents, have a lot of Victoria in them.—
Noel Murray,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But, for not a single D to stand to applaud a boy's brave battle with cancer, or a man's admission to West Point, was a classless disgrace.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
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Communism, on the other hand, advocates for a classless society where all property is communally owned.—
H. Sami Karaca,
The Conversation,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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An office that demands wisdom and restraint is now debased with churlish impulsivity, rambling incoherency and overt grift.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2025
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Marty, meanwhile, hollow-eyed and churlish about straying from their objective, seems haunted with guilt after a recent stint in jail for setting a building on fire.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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Climate change vandals spray-painted a Tesla car dealership in Manhattan on Tuesday to protest Elon Musk’s work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but as police arrived, the activists could be seen cleaning off some of the vulgar writing.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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Two of the protesters are facing counts including obstructing a law enforcement officer and simple battery on a law enforcement officer, while a third has been charged with using vulgar language, according to Acworth police.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clownish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clownish. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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