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clownishness

  • a word derived from clown.
    clown
    noun
    a comic performer, as in a circus, theatrical production, or the like, who wears an outlandish costume and makeup and entertains by pantomiming common situations or actions in exaggerated or ridiculous fashion, by juggling or tumbling, etc.

Example Sentences

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With his latest, “Kontinental ’25,” Jude — who also put out a coarsely wacky version of “Dracula” last year — shifts away from clownishness and toward a sterner register of concern for society.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026

His efforts to be a terrifying figure are routinely undercut by his clownishness.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2025

The problem with evil clowns is that it’s the clownishness, not the evil, they soon shed.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 14, 2022

Goals at the other end have declined, too, by about a third, but that’s a small price to pay if it lessens the embarrassing clownishness at the back.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 17, 2020

His ignorance and clownishness had prevented his mingling with the neighboring gentry.

From Tales of a Traveller by Washington Irving