as in boorish
having or showing crudely insensitive or impolite manners
the clownish antics of some of the teenagers at the wedding reception
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clownish
Before news of the repression broke, many Western media stories about Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov portrayed him as a clownish dictator obsessed with his Instagram account.
—
Layla Taimienova, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2017
Over the coming days, the owners of Four Seasons Total Landscaping did their patriotic duty and cashed in on their temporary notoriety, selling souvenirs to commemorate the fiasco; to Trump’s detractors, the debacle epitomized the clownish incompetence that had defined his presidency.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
Characters like Felix and Oswald have kind of an unfortunate connection to theater insofar as they’re associated with blackface minstrelsy—the notoriously racist form of stage performance where actors would blacken their faces, wear white gloves, and perform clownish antics.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 9 Oct. 2024
If the silly Elm Street sequels turned Freddy into a clownish figure, then his metaphysical inspiration will emerge darker and crueler than could be imagined on the safety of a film set.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 28 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Layla Taimienova, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2017
Over the coming days, the owners of Four Seasons Total Landscaping did their patriotic duty and cashed in on their temporary notoriety, selling souvenirs to commemorate the fiasco; to Trump’s detractors, the debacle epitomized the clownish incompetence that had defined his presidency.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
Characters like Felix and Oswald have kind of an unfortunate connection to theater insofar as they’re associated with blackface minstrelsy—the notoriously racist form of stage performance where actors would blacken their faces, wear white gloves, and perform clownish antics.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 9 Oct. 2024
If the silly Elm Street sequels turned Freddy into a clownish figure, then his metaphysical inspiration will emerge darker and crueler than could be imagined on the safety of a film set.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 28 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clownish
Adjective
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When the train reaches Chicago, she's quickly arrested by a boorish officer who refuses to hear her account of what happened.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
23 Mar. 2025
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Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega play a father and daughter who happen upon a real-life unicorn with supernatural abilities that a couple of boorish businessman types (Richard E. Grant and Will Poulter) are keen to exploit.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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His is a sort of erudite buffoonery that consistently tap-dances between clever, self-aware, and patently stupid.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
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Each of them loses track of a CD filled with secrets, and some end up dying in the stupidest possible ways because of their incompetence.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Some authors paint the media as an intrusive, uncouth pack of wolves.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
16 Mar. 2025
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Buteau’s special isn’t as brainy, brash or uncouth as others released this year, but there’s a sweetly molten core to her routines, a sense of genuine warmth.—
Melissa Kirsch,
New York Times,
28 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Even Lochlan and Piper, who think of themselves as more enlightened than their loutish brother and materialistic parents, have a lot of Victoria in them.—
Noel Murray,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2025
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Every great festival lineup needs an eccentric art-pop groundbreaker and some loutish guys who write anthems.—
Al Shipley,
Vulture,
6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But, for not a single D to stand to applaud a boy's brave battle with cancer, or a man's admission to West Point, was a classless disgrace.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
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Communism, on the other hand, advocates for a classless society where all property is communally owned.—
H. Sami Karaca,
The Conversation,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Some might consider this observation churlish when her biggest rival, ITV, was criticized for abandoning the playing field on Christmas Day after scheduling a parade of repeats.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2025
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The British series, which debuted in 2022, follows Oscar winner Gary Oldman’s churlish and disheveled Jackson Lamb as the leader of a team of disgraced and disowned MI5 agents scrappily and shabbily getting the job done.—
Trey Williams,
The Hollywood Reporter,
9 Aug. 2024
Adjective
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Over time, authorities also sidelined activities like sumo wrestling—considered vulgar by Westerners—in favor of baseball, boating, mountain climbing, and other activities popular in the West.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Mar. 2025
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Cornelius said that the superintendent later informed her of other prior incidents including her son — who has autism and is nonverbal — getting a shower without her permission, getting called vulgar names by staff and teachers, and receiving other inappropriate comments.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clownish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clownish. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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