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
All the forces and clownish figures of the moment, from Howard Stern to Al Sharpton, weighed in.
—
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
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
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
-
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
-
End these stupid, senseless wars.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Most of the films that came after are ridiculous and stupid.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Trump's uncouth behavior barely rates a headline anymore, so frequent are the examples.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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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
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
-
Vance’s tone was loutish in the distinctive, and tiresome, Trump way.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
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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Most of that action is on the Democratic side and the sniping is getting downright churlish as we near the March 17 primary elections.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
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Of all the churlish insults that Americans have had to endure during the Trump era, this is one of the most offensive.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Lewd and vulgar language is banned.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
14 Mar. 2026
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Bauder admonished the crowd several times for being too noisy, and police removed a protester who yelled vulgar comments.—
Heather Hollingsworth,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clownish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clownish. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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