1
as in comedy
humorous entertainment
an actor whose roles range from slapstick to serious drama
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in clowning
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
a lowbrow comedy that relies heavily on slapstick for its laughs
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in zany
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slapstick
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 23 Dec. 2025
Lee throws himself into all of it with a sad-sack slapstick energy that never undercuts—and, remarkably, even enhances—the psychological acuity of his acting.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025
Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
There was an almost slapstick quality to ball after ball being heaved up, over and over, clanging against the rim or missing it altogether.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slapstick
Noun
Anyone up for a German slapstick comedy Western parody blockbuster?
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 23 Dec. 2025
Lee throws himself into all of it with a sad-sack slapstick energy that never undercuts—and, remarkably, even enhances—the psychological acuity of his acting.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025
Adjective
How exactly did writer-director Kleber Mendonça Filho take such grim history and add so many other genres and tones, from slapstick humor to Hitchcockian thrills to gentle family melodrama, into something this cohesive, timely — and funny?
—Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
There was an almost slapstick quality to ball after ball being heaved up, over and over, clanging against the rim or missing it altogether.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slapstick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slapstick
Noun
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Against some audiences’ will, Ari Aster’s merciless black comedy drags us back to May 2020 when tempers, temperatures and misinformation were heating up across America.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Their expertise spans kids, animation, comedy, unscripted, prestige dramas, CBS procedurals and lots of sports.—
Lucas Shaw,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Yes, this is the modern clowning that all the thinkpieces are thinking about.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2026
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With an impressive ability to do accents and a background in clowning, Storrie is made for this.—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The result is a zanier and livelier ride than the cloistered and predictable Harry’s House.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
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The new film employs plenty of its own zany imagery and physical comedy.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Ziegler’s humor and sympathy for her characters—including Creon, who desperately wants to do right by everyone—saves the conflict between individual and state from heavy-handedness.—
Dan Stahl,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
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Excerpts from the audiocassettes of Long’s interviews are a strong element of Evans’ doc, and playful music cues underscore the humor and passion that course through this particularly American saga, along with a whole lot of pain.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Lindsay says that Jesse was serious about asking, but that the make-out would be a joking make-out.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2026
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The women’s team declined their joking invitation and had to explain comments directed at them.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The clownish dance is a Fortnite video game gesture, and involves making an L shape with fingers, pressing it to one’s forehead, then high kicking from side to side.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Mar. 2026
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He’s best known at this point either for playing the clownish Jack on Will & Grace or for being the relatively serious one of the three celebrity chatters on his podcast, Smartless.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This is the kind of thing that cries out for satire.—
Jonathan Zimmerman,
New York Daily News,
13 Mar. 2026
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Jordan Peele’s first feature, a runaway smash that won him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, functions as both a Twilight Zone-like B-picture and a bracing satire about race, class, and delusion.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Death by Lightning, adapted by Mike Makowsky from Candice Millard’s 2011 nonfiction book and directed by Matt Ross, hums with the strength of these performances, particularly Shannon’s quiet composure and Macfadyen mining new depths of buffoonery.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
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North Coast Rep will present a show Dec. 11-Dec. 14 with bubbling energy and comedic buffoonery in the British Pantomime version of The Adventures of Robin Hood as its next student production.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slapstick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slapstick. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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