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buffoonery

buffoonery

5 7.9
Clown-like, silly actions meant to make people laugh
  • noun
  • /bəˈfunəri/
translation icon : bufonada
  • A constant string of motel mayhem, barroom buffoonery, and generally boorish behavior devoured his attention.
  • a kind of buffoonery
  • just buffoonery
  • such buffoonery

In the original German Fratzen, buffoonery literally means like, making faces, grimacing, right?

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Examples

  • I thought you said there would be no buffoonery.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Vladimir Zhirinovsky employed TV to great effect, while the West laughed at his buffoonery.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Can we please put an end to this buffoonery?

  • I enjoy almost all forms of parody, buffoonery, and general high jinks.

    Blog text (30)
  • Your repeated harping on the buffoonery of German politicians still proves nothing.

    Blog text (13)
  • To forego admiration, to raise no envy, these are essential to buffoonery.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Journey to the edge of the disc—a tale of magic, friendship, and buffoonery.

    Blog text (26)
  • The clown's buffoonery made the children laugh during the party.

  • His silly buffoonery during the meeting distracted everyone from the main topic.

  • The movie was filled with buffoonery, featuring characters who acted foolishly just to entertain the audience.

Synonyms

silliness
vsbuffoonery
29 2.6

Playful or foolish behavior that is not serious and often funny

is more specifically theatrical and aimed at provoking laughter through clowning
frivolity
vsbuffoonery
9 6.7

Light, silly behavior that is not serious

is more performative and focused on clown-like actions to make people laugh
clowning
vsbuffoonery
8 3.2

Acting in a silly way to make people laugh

is wider, including clown-like styles rather than only brief funny acts
tomfoolery
vsbuffoonery
  • Informal
7 8.2

Silly, playful behaviour that is not serious

is more about overt clown-like silliness rather than mild mischief
jackassery
vsbuffoonery
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Behavior that is foolish, annoying, and often meant to make people laugh

is more purely playful and intended mainly to amuse without disruption
ludicrousness
vsbuffoonery
1 7.5

A situation so silly or unreasonable that people laugh and do not believe it

is deliberate silly performance with intent to entertain rather than mere absurdity
japery
vsbuffoonery
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Playful, foolish behavior that tries to make people laugh

is more theatrical and often more clown-like in presentation
facetiousness
vsbuffoonery
1 7.8

A habit of making playful jokes about serious things

is straightforward amusing foolishness aimed at making others laugh, not irony
clownishness
vsbuffoonery
4.6

Behaving in a silly, playful way like a clown to make people laugh

is similar but focuses more on clown-like performance to amuse others
clownery
vsbuffoonery
  • Informal
6.1

Silly behavior meant to make people laugh

is the general idea but often stresses the clownish aspect more
antics
vsbuffoonery
3.1

Funny or silly actions that try to make people laugh

places stronger weight on clown-like foolishness intended to entertain others
prankishness
vsbuffoonery
8.4

A liking for doing playful, slightly naughty tricks on other people

is broader, covering silly acting beyond just prank-based humour
waggery
vsbuffoonery
  • Archaic
9.9

Playful acts that tease people in a friendly way

is broader and often includes physical, exaggerated fooling rather than only jokes
hoopy antic
vsbuffoonery
  • Informal
9.9

Silly actions that try to make people laugh

is similar but usually more rooted in classic clown-like behaviour
over-the-top antics
vsbuffoonery
  • Informal
7.2

Loud exaggerated actions meant to get attention or make people laugh

is less extreme, focusing on simple clown-like silliness rather than excess
loony antics
vsbuffoonery
  • Informal
8.4

Silly, wild actions people do to get attention

is more composed clown-like performance rather than chaotic or wild antics
moment of muppetry
vsbuffoonery
  • Slang
9.9

A short time when someone acts silly

is the ongoing behaviour type rather than a single silly episode

Antonyms

398 3.2

Calm, respectful behaviour that shows self-respect in hard times

53 2.7

A calm and honest way of speaking or acting that shows you mean what you say

How Silly

buffoonery
5 7.9
clowning
8 3.2
tomfoolery
  • Informal
7 8.2
joking
2 1.2
to banter
  • Informal
9 4.6

Surface Forms

buffoonery singular
buffooneries plural

Morphology

buffoonery = buffoon (transparent) = buffoon + ery

Formed by the noun 'buffoon' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ery', yielding 'the practice or behaviour of a buffoon', which is directly inferable.

Etymology

Buffoonery comes from buffoon, which in turn comes from an old Italian verb buffare meaning 'to puff', as when someone puffs out their cheeks or makes a silly face to get a laugh. So buffoonery means silly, clown-like behaviour meant to amuse people.