buffoonery

American  

[buh-foo-nuh-ree] / bəˈfu nə ri /

noun

1. amusement by means of usually physical or visual tricks, jokes, etc..

   The play swings from absurd buffoonery to high tragedy, with kinetic physicality, silliness, swords, and live music.

2. coarse or undignified joking.

   The managers perceived my buffoonery as a barely concealed way of calling them pretentious—and they weren’t altogether wrong.

3. silly, foolish, or unseemly behavior.

   It’s hard to top the current governor's race if you like your politics laced with outrageous buffoonery.

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Etymology

Origin of buffoonery

buffoon ( def. ) + -ery ( def. )

Explanation

If someone tells you to cut out the buffoonery, you may want to consider taking the French fries out of your nostrils. Buffoonery means acting like a clown. Notice how buffoon sounds like puff? Well, they're related. Buffare is an Italian word meaning "puff out the cheeks," which is apparently something that Italian court jesters, or buffoons, liked to do in the 1700s. Guess you had to be there.

Example Sentences

Buffoonery to Mediocrity Marvelous Marv departed early in 1963, but the Mets' maladies lingered.

From Time Magazine Archive

Buffoonery in them is a form of resentful irony against those to whom they daren't speak the truth, from having been for years humiliated and intimidated by them.

From The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky, Fyodor

Buffoonery differs from lampoon in being carried on in acting, instead of words.

From History of English Humour, Vol. 2 by L'Estrange, Alfred Guy Kingan

Buffoonery after a certain time exhausts our patience.

From Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 1 by Disraeli, Isaac

His Oration a medley of Sarcasm, Invective, and Buffoonery, and wound up with a Flourish of Patriotism and Loyalty.

From Manners & Cvftoms of ye Englyfhe Drawn from ye Qvick by Doyle, Richard

Related Words

• caricature
• contempt
• derision
• disdain
• jeer
• laughter
• mockery
• parody
• sarcasm
• satire
• scorn
• taunt
• taunting