buffoonery

noun

buf·​foon·​ery (ˌ)bə-ˈfü-nə-rē 

-ˈfün-rē

plural buffooneries

: foolish or playful behavior or practice

Synonyms

• clownery
• clowning
• foolery
• high jinks
• hijinks
• horseplay
• horsing around
• monkey business
• monkeying
• monkeyshine(s)
• roughhouse
• roughhousing
• shenanigan(s)
• skylarking
• slapstick
• tomfoolery

Examples of buffoonery in a Sentence

their madcap buffoonery turned the duo into the nation's hottest comedy act

Recent Examples on the Web

Famously, Tommy Lee Jones could not sanction Jim Carrey’s buffoonery on Batman Forever. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2024

But conservatism ought not to be equated with populist buffoonery and mendacity. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 14 Oct. 2024

Many Americans and the institutions that cover him have grown so used to Trump—to his tirades, lies, and buffoonery—that his behavior can fade into the background of our cultural discourse, his shamelessness and unfitness for office taken almost for granted. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2024

But in the Mad Max universe, such buffoonery is often a prelude to unspeakable evil. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

buffoonery

noun

buf·​foon·​ery (ˌ)bə-ˈfün-(ə-)rē 

plural buffoonerries

: foolish or playful behavior