as in hijinks
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
their madcap buffoonery turned the duo into the nation's hottest comedy act
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Recent Examples of buffoonery
The other person who spoke in South Carolina, Tim Walz, is a special mixture of extreme buffoonery and a mean spirit, which is a toxic brew.
—
Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 1 June 2025
Certainly hope none of you will be complicit in this buffoonery.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 23 May 2025
The quarterback with a rocket arm had moments of brilliance and moments of buffoonery.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 6 May 2025
Certainly, an irreverent portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte is warranted, but at two and a half hours of alternating brutality and buffoonery, this movie really tries one’s patience.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for buffoonery
Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 1 June 2025
Certainly hope none of you will be complicit in this buffoonery.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 23 May 2025
The quarterback with a rocket arm had moments of brilliance and moments of buffoonery.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 6 May 2025
Certainly, an irreverent portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte is warranted, but at two and a half hours of alternating brutality and buffoonery, this movie really tries one’s patience.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for buffoonery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buffoonery
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
Noun
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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
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And their joking comments about their relationship never help the matter.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This Survivor 49 challenge tomfoolery actually began before the season even started filming.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Oct. 2025
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Rite of passage or midnight tomfoolery?—
Jake Allen,
IndyStar,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As for Abdul-Mateen, the clownery will resume for him on Broadway.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2022
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Tirhakah Love is a senior writer at New York Magazine and the host of the new evening newsletter Dinner Party, a daily email that touches on all things entertainment — that means film, television, music, tech, and gaming — plus politics and corporate clownery.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2022
Noun
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Butch Baker, who was Henry County sheriff until 2014, recalled an incident in which Bertram was accused of inappropriate horseplay at the community corrections office.—
Tony Cook,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
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The action anime feature for everyone who couldn’t get enough of the horseplay in The Two Towers has finally cantered onto Max.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The whole of humanity doesn’t fit tidily into three acts, even assuming as much frame-breaking foolery as Wilder allows.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2022
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Political pranking is traditionally thought of as benign foolery targeting the powerful.—
Stanislav Budnitsky,
The Conversation,
19 Apr. 2022
Noun
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The film — part chilling revenge thriller and part absurd slapstick — is riveting.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
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In arguably Buster Keaton’s most experimental film, the silent-era slapstick comedian plays a movie projectionist who dreams of becoming a detective.—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The profile of this shoe is one that feels inherently familiar, but childlike playfulness is also secured vis-à-vis the fluffy sheepskin that seems to overflow from its color-happy laces.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
24 Oct. 2025
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Perched at the top of the building, a triplex penthouse spanning more than 3,300 square feet—plus nearly 2,000 square feet of landscaped terraces—embodies Ban’s signature blend of precision and playfulness.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Buffoonery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buffoonery. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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