guignol
9.9
A chaotic, badly organized event that makes no sense
- noun
- /ɡiːˈnɒl/
- Informal
:
payasada
- After a series of blunders, the event became such a guignol that the audience couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculousness.
Examples
-
And Titus Andronicus is so Grand Guignol.
Fiction book (2001) -
The meeting turned into a complete guignol, with everyone shouting over one another and no one able to make a point.
-
The party was a chaotic guignol, filled with miscommunication and absurd antics that left everyone in disbelief.
Synonyms
1
9.9
Silly, often annoying behavior that causes confusion
focuses on an overall absurd event rather than mere silly behavior
9.9
A very messy, confused mix of things in one place
is more about absurd farcical disorder beyond mere playful mess
9.9
A situation that is very messy and badly organized
is similar but uses neutral absurdity rather than crude insult
9.9
A very messy place or situation
is broader, stressing farce and poor organization not only mess
9.9
A noisy, confused scene with people moving and shouting
emphasizes ridiculous or farcical chaos rather than only noisy commotion
Compounds
How Ridiculous
Surface Forms
Etymology
Guignol also came to mean a ridiculous or chaotic event because badly run puppet shows felt absurd and messy, so people call a farcical situation a guignol.