clownish

adjective

ˈklau̇-nish How to pronounce clownish (audio)
Definition of clownishnext
as in boorish
having or showing crudely insensitive or impolite manners the clownish antics of some of the teenagers at the wedding reception

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective clownish differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of clownish are boorish, churlish, and loutish. While all these words mean "uncouth in manners or appearance," clownish suggests ill-bred awkwardness, ignorance or stupidity, ungainliness, and often a propensity for absurd antics.

an adolescent's clownish conduct

When could boorish be used to replace clownish?

The meanings of boorish and clownish largely overlap; however, boorish implies rudeness of manner due to insensitiveness to others' feelings and unwillingness to be agreeable.

a drunk's boorish behavior

Where would churlish be a reasonable alternative to clownish?

The synonyms churlish and clownish are sometimes interchangeable, but churlish suggests surliness, unresponsiveness, and ungraciousness.

churlish remarks

In what contexts can loutish take the place of clownish?

Although the words loutish and clownish have much in common, loutish implies bodily awkwardness together with stupidity.

a loutish oaf

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 clownish Both McAdams and O’Brien play with their movie star personae but move beyond those expectations to deliver highly expressive, almost clownish performances — in the best way. — Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 31 Jan. 2026 Both McAdams and O’Brien move beyond expectations to deliver highly expressive, almost clownish performances — in the best way. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026 Both McAdams and O’Brien deliver highly expressive, almost clownish performances — in the best way. — Katie Walsh, Dallas Morning News, 28 Jan. 2026 All the forces and clownish figures of the moment, from Howard Stern to Al Sharpton, weighed in. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for clownish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clownish
  1. boorish
  2. stupid
  3. uncouth
  4. loutish
  5. classless
  6. churlish
  7. vulgar
Adjective
  • The poem tells us of 12 slave girls who sleep with Penelope’s boorish suitors.
    — Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 July 2026
  • In the mid-19th century, a family of Dutch-Afrikaans homesteaders sets out to cross the inhospitable terrain of the Kalahari Desert along with their backer, a boorish Brit whose avarice and bigotry loom large over the journey.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 July 2026
Definition of boorish
Adjective
  • There are plenty of videos from Yellowstone National Park involving tourists doing breathtakingly stupid things around wild animals.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2026
  • Even when Romanzy goes off on how stupid and ugly Caleb is — and gossips that his parents abandoned him because something must be wrong with him — Mary goes along with it.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 July 2026
Definition of stupid
Adjective
  • An uncouth mix of stress and chlorine exposure recently left my skin simultaneously drier and more breakout-prone than it's been in quite a long time, and my usual routine of a quarter-size drop of skin tint just wasn’t cutting it anymore.
    — Sarah Hoffmann, Allure, 1 July 2026
  • And any expression otherwise is so taboo or deemed uncouth, and we aren’t allowed to talk about it in our art and media.
    — Rachel Handler, Vulture, 14 May 2026
Definition of uncouth
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the palace has been besieged by loutish suitors, led by the scheming Antinous (Robert Pattinson), all of them vying for the queen’s hand in remarriage and mooching off the absent king’s food and wine.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • And Trump’s domineering, loutish approach to women spoke to its adherents in a way that few, if any, of his rivals could match.
    — Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
Definition of loutish
Adjective
  • The harmful framing of women athletes as vulnerable and Black women athletes as overly aggressive and classless has been well-established across studies.
    — Lindsey Darvin, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • The Avs did right by MacFarland in granting him permission to interview, unlike the petty and classless Golden Knights, who continue to hold former coach Bruce Cassidy hostage.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 7 June 2026
Definition of classless
Adjective
  • But the tournament will also be remembered for a classless and churlish Argentina, which forever stained itself with a thuggish performance in the game and an ungracious one afterward.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • If Vance now recognizes his comments as churlish, lacking in charity, and utterly unlikely to persuade voters, much less witness to the sublime truths of the Christian religion, good for him.
    — Matthew Walther, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of churlish
Adjective
  • Lonnie is loud, obnoxious, and vulgar in ways that rankle traditional golfers.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 July 2026
  • Suki, a vocal Black woman with an at times vulgar persona, whereas Althoff, a white woman, gained a reputation as an awkward, seemingly timid interviewer on her The Really Good Podcast.
    — Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of vulgar

Browse Nearby Words

clowning (around)
clownish
clownishness
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Cite this Entry

“Clownish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clownish. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on clownish

Nglish: Translation of clownish for Spanish Speakers

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