as in boorish
having or showing crudely insensitive or impolite manners
the clownish antics of some of the teenagers at the wedding reception
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clownish
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 move beyond expectations to deliver highly expressive, almost clownish performances — in the best way.
—
Katie Walsh,
Los Angeles Times,
30 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
All the forces and clownish figures of the moment, from Howard Stern to Al Sharpton, weighed in.
—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
31 Jan. 2026
Both McAdams and O’Brien move beyond expectations to deliver highly expressive, almost clownish performances — in the best way.
—
Katie Walsh,
Los Angeles Times,
30 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
All the forces and clownish figures of the moment, from Howard Stern to Al Sharpton, weighed in.
—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clownish
Adjective
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And in an age of boorish, brawling Little League Parents®, perhaps there’s a lesson to be learned from our new friends in the horn hats.
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The doc goes on to note that, along with boorish audiences, record labels were also wary of Culture Club, even though their aesthetic was very much in the early Eighties new wave and pop mold.
Adjective
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And no, that was NOT OutKick or FOX who wrote that stupid headline.
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The thing about House of the Dragon is that everything really is quite stupid.
Adjective
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An uncouth mix of stress and chlorine exposure recently left my skin simultaneously drier and more breakout-prone than it's been in quite a long time, and my usual routine of a quarter-size drop of skin tint just wasn’t cutting it anymore.
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And any expression otherwise is so taboo or deemed uncouth, and we aren’t allowed to talk about it in our art and media.
Adjective
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And Trump’s domineering, loutish approach to women spoke to its adherents in a way that few, if any, of his rivals could match.
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The nation and the world have long since become accustomed to Trump’s loutish behavior, coarse vocabulary and disrespect for the dignity of his office and America’s reputation.
Adjective
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The harmful framing of women athletes as vulnerable and Black women athletes as overly aggressive and classless has been well-established across studies.
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The Avs did right by MacFarland in granting him permission to interview, unlike the petty and classless Golden Knights, who continue to hold former coach Bruce Cassidy hostage.
Adjective
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But this churlish little spurt from his players?
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Most of that action is on the Democratic side and the sniping is getting downright churlish as we near the March 17 primary elections.
Adjective
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Sean Goode, a former Canton police sergeant who was working the night of John O'Keefe's death and testified during the first Karen Read trial, allegedly sent dozens of vulgar text messages, according to an independent investigation.
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Others were removed early on for vulgar or inappropriate comments, according to a PGA Tour source with knowledge of the events, with five spectators in total ejected from the tournament with six holes to go.
Cite this Entry
“Clownish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clownish. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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