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

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

When cast member John Amos, who played the no-nonsense father James Evans Sr., started complaining loudly about the buffoonery that was taking over the program, he was fired, and his character was killed off. —Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2024

Then there’s the other result of political buffoonery, when the glove is thrown down and the court battles begin. —Patrick Wallis, Baltimore Sun, 24 May 2024

He was bizarrely snubbed for Payne’s Sideways, a 2004 indie smash that was otherwise showered with awards attention, and would not have remotely resonated with audiences without Giamatti’s bruised, relatable buffoonery at its center. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 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