slapstick 1 of 2

noun

ˈslap-ˌstik How to pronounce slapstick (audio)
Definition of slapsticknext
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

slapstick

2 of 2

adjective

as in zany

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 slapstick
Noun
Some of the jokes can be thought of as slapstick for Wittgenstein. — Air Mail, 3 Oct. 2026 There was an element of slapstick about Bournemouth’s second, with Justin Kluivert’s strike bouncing off the post and Lukas Hornicek’s before Scott’s follow-up cross looped agonisingly into the net off the outstretched foot of Malick Thiaw. — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Adjective
Don Adams led the slapstick spy spoof as the brainy but hopelessly incompetent Agent Smart, starring alongside Barbara Feldon as the ever-capable Agent 99. — Jack Dunn, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026 Clive Ibizugbe, who operates under the pseudonym Big Groove, ate his way through the city, sharing the journey in his slapstick style with more than 2 million followers. — Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 30 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for slapstick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slapstick
  1. comedy
  2. clowning
  3. zany
  4. humor
  5. buffoonery
  6. clownish
  7. satire
  8. joking
Noun
  • Paul Howard, the only son of The Three Stooges‘ Moe Howard and the last surviving son of the comedy team’s classic line up – Moe, brothers Curly and Shemp, and Larry Fine – died this week.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Mixing kung fu action, gore, horror and dark comedy, the series takes its cues from vintage Hong Kong martial arts films and from Ghana’s independent filmmaking scene.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of comedy
Noun
  • On paper, the script didn’t seem that funny, and the looseness of it all — the clowning, the lack of a traditional plot structure — seemed kind of slapdash.
    — Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • After all, as observed in a recent article in New York magazine about clowning, stupidity is powerful resistance.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 24 June 2026
Definition of clowning
Adjective
  • As a vocalist, Rose has never sounded zanier or more frenzied.
    — Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Curry went on to a successful, varied career, immediately seeking a departure from the zany role with which he’d become identified.
    — Lisa de los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of zany
Noun
  • Also, this group of friends has been coping with death using approximately 40% love, 20% alcohol and 40% wildly inappropriate humor, so taking this unfinished review bike back through the scene of the crime seemed entirely on brand.
    — Kevin Fanady, New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Sola Media managing director Solveig Langeland said mixing humor and heart has always sat at the center of the studio’s storytelling, backed by its skill at bringing characters to life through strong voice casts.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of humor
Noun
  • Irwin knows how to clown an audience, and in this enjoyable, broadly comic interpretation, the buffoonery is at least as much the point as some pointed critiques of modern-day American health care.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Trump’s quarter millennial—featuring overt buffoonery and historic grifting as neighbors—was characteristic of his two presidencies.
    — Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of buffoonery
Adjective
  • Though Lyons’s clownish sensibilities are central to The Woman on the Edge, the show isn’t purely clown, integrating other forms and techniques, from contemporary dance to film reenactment.
    — Georgie McKeon, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • This is our introduction to He and She, two clownish, pugilistic lovers who are locked in a war of words, even as a literal war rages outside.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of clownish
Noun
  • To use satire to confirm does not bring with it dramatic excitement and risks a certain smugness of point of view.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Even the most gifted practitioner of satire — looking at my shelf full of Carl Hiassen novels — couldn’t make up this stuff.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of satire
Noun
  • As the audience applauded, Stewart launched into his joking eulogy.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Russell was mentioned in that speech, but in a joking way, playing off of how frequent Oscars director Glenn Weiss, who won for his role helming the 2018 Academy Awards telecast, had used his speech to propose to his then-girlfriend.
    — Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of joking

Browse Nearby Words

slaps down
slapstick
slapsticks
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Cite this Entry

“Slapstick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slapstick. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on slapstick

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about slapstick

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