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Buffoonish

March 17, 2022

Buffoonish /Buh-foon-ish/ noun

Definition: Buffoonish comes from the word buffoon, a person who is acting in a clownish or ridiculous manner. In English, we see a buffoon as an idiot and someone we don’t respect or take seriously.

Someone acting buffoonish is creating a scene or a spectacle that makes others feel uncomfortable being around them. Buffoon is a negative term that describes unwanted or undesirable behaviors in polite society. For example, someone suddenly hopping up on a table in a restaurant is acting in a buffoonish and embarrassing manner.

Etymology: We find the first recorded use of the word buffoon in Middle English around 1584. It’s derived from the Middle English word bouffon with the same meaning. They used the word in Old Italian as buffone. We still use the words buffoon and buffoonish in the English language with their original meaning.

In a Sentence

His friends stopped hanging out with him in public because of his buffoonish behavior.

They came to the wedding dressed in a buffoonish-looking outfit.

His buffoonish behavior often landed him in the county jail.

Synonyms 

Clown, Harlequin

Antonyms 

Gentleman, Charmer

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