1
as in comedy
humorous entertainment
an actor whose roles range from slapstick to serious drama
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slapstick
George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Early pantomime theater generally combined two parts: first, a play; and second, a buffoonish slapstick drama featuring four stock characters borrowed from commedia dell’arte: Harlequin; his lady love, Columbine; a grumpy antagonist named Pantaloon; and his assistant, the Clown.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 18 Dec. 2024
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has everything that made the Indiana Jones movies so memorable – whips, slapstick punches and even that cinema stalwart, the Wilhelm scream.
—Ryan Benk, NPR, 15 Dec. 2024
Though none of Sony’s Spider-Man-less Spider-Man movies have been sterling pieces of cinema, the goopy, slapstick romance of the Venom series was a surprise delight.
—Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 13 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for slapstick 
Noun
Summer this year mixed slapstick ultra-violence with kid-friendly fare, with another massively successful July release in Despicable Me 4 also targeted to younger audiences.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Early pantomime theater generally combined two parts: first, a play; and second, a buffoonish slapstick drama featuring four stock characters borrowed from commedia dell’arte: Harlequin; his lady love, Columbine; a grumpy antagonist named Pantaloon; and his assistant, the Clown.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 18 Dec. 2024
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has everything that made the Indiana Jones movies so memorable – whips, slapstick punches and even that cinema stalwart, the Wilhelm scream.
—Ryan Benk, NPR, 15 Dec. 2024
Though none of Sony’s Spider-Man-less Spider-Man movies have been sterling pieces of cinema, the goopy, slapstick romance of the Venom series was a surprise delight.
—Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 13 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for slapstick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slapstick
Noun
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Tim Lammers For example, SPE’s summer action comedy smash Bad Boys: Ride or Die opened in theaters on June 7 PVOD and arrived on PVOD about six weeks later, on July 23.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
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The original did air on NBC, which could rebuild a comedy block to try to bring back Must-See TV.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The set-up almost sounds like a zany comedy, but sometimes fact is actually stranger than fiction.—
Scott Phillips,
Forbes,
4 Jan. 2025
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Those kinds of connections are everywhere in this wonderfully zany sport.—
Tyler Kepner,
The Athletic,
24 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Through it all—the fights, the coupon cutting, the hand-me-downs, the breakdowns—with love, humor and perseverance, the family prevails.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2025
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Despite great chemistry between stars Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Skeet Ulrich, and Vincent D'Onofrio, The Newton Boys is a crime film without much tension that devolves into a hangout picture without the humor or wit of his better, well, hangout pictures.—
Brian Smolensky and James Mercadante,
EW.com,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Redheads often fielded comments related to having a hot temper, being clownish, weirdness, Irishness, not capable of being in the sun, being wild (among women), wimpy (among men), and intellectually superior.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
19 Jan. 2025
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As vice-president, Kamala Harris was generally regarded as unimpressive and slightly clownish, with her banal repetitions and too-frequent outbursts of too-exuberant laughter.—
Avi Nelson,
Boston Herald,
30 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Not brilliant or ambitious in its satire, but solid.—
Andy Hoglund,
EW.com,
19 Jan. 2025
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In between his many obligations, Wood Jr. caught up with TIME to discuss his time in the food service industry, the impact of President Trump’s victory on satire, and whether the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was a tougher room than the Apollo Theater.—
Andrew R. Chow,
TIME,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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And, gosh, what is the deal with the rest of their graduating class (including a desperately funny Kelly McCormack, whose animus toward Agnes is both understandable and very amusing)?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
27 Jan. 2025
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Rogan found this amusing given Harris’s prior public support for cannabis reform but speculated her prosecutorial record on marijuana offenses might have influenced this decision.—
Tribune Content Agency,
The Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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There are no gilded gates here, but there is one heck of a party, complete with serenading busts, ballroom dancers, excitable opera singers, drunken buffoonery and portraits locked in an endless duel.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2025
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What’s so special about Britain’s patron wanker of bighearted buffoonery?—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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All-terrain golf carts are a popular, convenient, and supremely entertaining way to reach even some of the more hidden beaches around the island.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Jan. 2025
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For the man, the house is an expression of love and creativity, while his brother and niece see it more as an entertaining object.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
24 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Slapstick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slapstick. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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