clownish

adjective

ˈklau̇-nish How to pronounce clownish (audio)
Definition of clownishnext
as in boorish
having or showing crudely insensitive or impolite manners the clownish antics of some of the teenagers at the wedding reception

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective clownish differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of clownish are boorish, churlish, and loutish. While all these words mean "uncouth in manners or appearance," clownish suggests ill-bred awkwardness, ignorance or stupidity, ungainliness, and often a propensity for absurd antics.

an adolescent's clownish conduct

When could boorish be used to replace clownish?

The meanings of boorish and clownish largely overlap; however, boorish implies rudeness of manner due to insensitiveness to others' feelings and unwillingness to be agreeable.

a drunk's boorish behavior

Where would churlish be a reasonable alternative to clownish?

The synonyms churlish and clownish are sometimes interchangeable, but churlish suggests surliness, unresponsiveness, and ungraciousness.

churlish remarks

In what contexts can loutish take the place of clownish?

Although the words loutish and clownish have much in common, loutish implies bodily awkwardness together with stupidity.

a loutish oaf

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clownish The clownish dance is a Fortnite video game gesture, and involves making an L shape with fingers, pressing it to one’s forehead, then high kicking from side to side. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 5 Mar. 2026 He’s best known at this point either for playing the clownish Jack on Will & Grace or for being the relatively serious one of the three celebrity chatters on his podcast, Smartless. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026 Both McAdams and O’Brien play with their movie star personae but move beyond those expectations to deliver highly expressive, almost clownish performances — in the best way. — Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 31 Jan. 2026 Both McAdams and O’Brien deliver highly expressive, almost clownish performances — in the best way. — Katie Walsh, Dallas Morning News, 28 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for clownish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clownish
  1. boorish
  2. stupid
  3. uncouth
  4. loutish
  5. classless
  6. churlish
  7. vulgar
Adjective
  • The most surprising appearance of all, however, is that of longtime media executive Jeff Zucker, tearing into a boorish version of himself.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The poem tells us of 12 slave girls who sleep with Penelope’s boorish suitors.
    — Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 July 2026
Definition of boorish
Adjective
  • Video games are one of the world’s most dominant storytelling mediums, yet the writing is often dismissed — not always unfairly — as melodramatic, overly serious and occasionally very stupid.
    — Gene Park, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Bonnell The enthusiast’s approach Bonnell’s team uses matters because electric motorcycles have an annoying tendency to make power delivery either spectacularly good or spectacularly stupid.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of stupid
Adjective
  • People had used rude words on television before, but never in such uncouth tones as Lydon and Jones in a regional ITV interview on 1 December 1976.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 23 Aug. 2026
  • His gruff mechanic Cooter Davenport is introduced as a hell-raising, uncouth wild man, constantly taunting the authorities and flouting convention.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of uncouth
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the palace has been besieged by loutish suitors, led by the scheming Antinous (Robert Pattinson), all of them vying for the queen’s hand in remarriage and mooching off the absent king’s food and wine.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • And Trump’s domineering, loutish approach to women spoke to its adherents in a way that few, if any, of his rivals could match.
    — Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
Definition of loutish
Adjective
  • But the tournament will also be remembered for a classless and churlish Argentina, which forever stained itself with a thuggish performance in the game and an ungracious one afterward.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • The harmful framing of women athletes as vulnerable and Black women athletes as overly aggressive and classless has been well-established across studies.
    — Lindsey Darvin, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of classless
Adjective
  • But the tournament will also be remembered for a classless and churlish Argentina, which forever stained itself with a thuggish performance in the game and an ungracious one afterward.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • If Vance now recognizes his comments as churlish, lacking in charity, and utterly unlikely to persuade voters, much less witness to the sublime truths of the Christian religion, good for him.
    — Matthew Walther, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of churlish
Adjective
  • Decide for yourself whether that’s a bold indicator of English football’s superiority over the rest of the world, or a revolting symbol of the bloated and vulgar behemoth that the game has become.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • However, recent scholarship posits that the structure was used as ordinary (rather than punitive) housing, and that the vulgar decor was in fact a distinguishing characteristic of the epoch.
    — Jim Greer, SPIN, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of vulgar

Browse Nearby Words

clowning (around)
clownish
clownishness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Clownish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clownish. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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