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 hijinks
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
a lowbrow comedy that relies heavily on slapstick for its laughs
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in zany
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slapstick
James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2025
What follows is a delightful mix of slapstick comedy (a bathtub scene that ranks among the best physical comedy of the decade), whimsical set pieces, and a genuinely touching story about belonging.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
What begins as slapstick chaos soon reveals a layered critique of vanity, authority and the pressures of appearances.
—Essie Assibu, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slapstick
Noun
The whole this is very slapstick and irreverent, and the story is advanced almost exclusively by wacky deus ex machinas.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2025
What follows is a delightful mix of slapstick comedy (a bathtub scene that ranks among the best physical comedy of the decade), whimsical set pieces, and a genuinely touching story about belonging.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Hollywood legend Cary Grant goes full-on slapstick as a man who discovers his sweet elderly aunts are actually serial killers.
—Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
What begins as slapstick chaos soon reveals a layered critique of vanity, authority and the pressures of appearances.
—Essie Assibu, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slapstick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slapstick
Noun
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Netflix’s true-crime documentaries have a recognizable sheen to them—the streamer even released a comedy series mocking its take on the genre.—
Paula Mejía,
The Atlantic,
2 Nov. 2025
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But other than the dark comedy of Notre Dame’s kicking game, nothing about it felt like a harbinger of doom.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Emily Ratajkowski's interpretation of Marge Simpson from The Simpsons at Klum's 2015 Heidi Halloween was perfectly zany for the occasion.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
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Burnett’s out-of-costume persona—approachable, winning, game—earned her a kind of good will with audiences that her zany sketch material alone might not have.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Prince Philip’s quick wit and no-nonsense humor were legendary, both inside and outside palace walls.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Even more preoccupied with toilet humor than its predecessor, Scary Movie 2 hauled in substantially less at the box office.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Finally, after plenty of clowning, Taylor Swift has revealed that her 12th album is on the way, titled The Life of a Showgirl.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
13 Aug. 2025
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This is a work in which the slapstick clowning and the tricky verbal non sequiturs should be merely the surface for roiling undercurrents of anguish, futility, despair and fear.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Adjective
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Those long familiar with Pratt’s clownish agent-of-chaos persona both onscreen and on their social feeds may find his latest role disorienting.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Oct. 2025
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The combo together ensures that the lip doesn't look clownish.—
Sarah Hoffmann,
Allure,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Your previous film, The Sunday Runoff, also used light satire to critique bureaucracy.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Oct. 2025
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The warm, relatable territory where the first season ends up doesn’t fully square with the savage satire promised by the pilot.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Self was in a joking mood when asked about the squad’s stellar defensive play.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
29 Oct. 2025
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Jones eventually got into his joking bag, and Bleek took that opportunity to seriously set the record straight one last time.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Well, in some ways a lot of Dylan’s fakery of his own bio has always been very amusing.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
27 Oct. 2025
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Beyond the amusing jokes, Carlile’s point seems to be that Mitchell doesn’t need to be the world’s most flagrant empath to be one of its greatest healers.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slapstick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slapstick. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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