harlequins

plural of harlequin
as in clowns
a comically dressed performer (as at a circus) who entertains with playful tricks and ridiculous behavior among the court entertainers waiting to enter the grand hall were masked harlequins in brightly colored pantaloons

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harlequins
clowns
Noun
  • Strangely, all the clowns with Ukraine flags 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 in their bio are also all silent on this one.
    Amanda Castro Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The sheriff threatens to arrest Morticia on account of aiding and abetting a murderer, but Gomez points out that these clowns (the cops) abandoned Nevermore to protect Normies at Pilgrim World.
    Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Harlequins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harlequins. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on harlequins

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!