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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Recent Examples of clownish
As vice-president, Kamala Harris was generally regarded as unimpressive and slightly clownish, with her banal repetitions and too-frequent outbursts of too-exuberant laughter.
—
Avi Nelson, Boston Herald, 30 Oct. 2024
Its members' firm repudiation of the unqualified and clownish Matt Gaetz for attorney general shows that its members can still stiffen their sinews and summon up the courage to curb President-elect Donald Trump's appetite for surrounding himself with sycophantic boobs.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Before news of the repression broke, many Western media stories about Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov portrayed him as a clownish dictator obsessed with his Instagram account.
—Layla Taimienova, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2017
Over the coming days, the owners of Four Seasons Total Landscaping did their patriotic duty and cashed in on their temporary notoriety, selling souvenirs to commemorate the fiasco; to Trump’s detractors, the debacle epitomized the clownish incompetence that had defined his presidency.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Avi Nelson, Boston Herald, 30 Oct. 2024
Its members' firm repudiation of the unqualified and clownish Matt Gaetz for attorney general shows that its members can still stiffen their sinews and summon up the courage to curb President-elect Donald Trump's appetite for surrounding himself with sycophantic boobs.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Before news of the repression broke, many Western media stories about Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov portrayed him as a clownish dictator obsessed with his Instagram account.
—Layla Taimienova, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2017
Over the coming days, the owners of Four Seasons Total Landscaping did their patriotic duty and cashed in on their temporary notoriety, selling souvenirs to commemorate the fiasco; to Trump’s detractors, the debacle epitomized the clownish incompetence that had defined his presidency.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clownish
Adjective
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While the boorish behavior of Twain’s shipmates is cataloged throughout (snapping off pieces of ancient monuments for souvenirs, for instance), his most flamboyant portrayal is a self-portrait.—
Caity Weaver,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2025
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Final Destination 5 suffers from a pretty dull ensemble of future corpses (the most boorish include David Koechner and Rugrat from The Wolf of Wall Street), going through the same cycle of disbelief and dread the death-list targets always experience in these movies.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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The pair will make stupid decisions, and viewers will likely wonder: would a girl like Paula really do that for a mess like Sloane?—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
13 June 2025
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This one is one person on the street obviously taking the soul of a protester who was stupid enough to go after some police officers.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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This includes uncouth habits like bad hygiene, inconsiderate acts like being self-centered or a violation of social norms.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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Even at a cautious pace, the Escort feels raw and uncouth.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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This was like loutish English tourists turning up unannounced and urinating in the holy water.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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And Gandolfini, who died of a heart attack in 2013 at age 51, was the show’s tempestuous soul, playing a loutish killer with a quick temper and sad eyes.—
Chris Vognar,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The rowdy responses of the classless crowd were intolerable.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
10 June 2025
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But, for not a single D to stand to applaud a boy's brave battle with cancer, or a man's admission to West Point, was a classless disgrace.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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An office that demands wisdom and restraint is now debased with churlish impulsivity, rambling incoherency and overt grift.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2025
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Marty, meanwhile, hollow-eyed and churlish about straying from their objective, seems haunted with guilt after a recent stint in jail for setting a building on fire.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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One of them, a graduate student named Hailey, who had the kind of vulgar beauty of fecundity, duly fell pregnant.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
15 June 2025
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Dem rep's vulgar demand to ICE officers leads to calls to expel her from Congress MAJOR HEADLINES 'NEVER SEEN HER' – AOC, progressives ripped for ignoring 'Red Light district' as prostitution, filthy streets return.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clownish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clownish. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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