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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clownish
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
All the forces and clownish figures of the moment, from Howard Stern to Al Sharpton, weighed in.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Pratt, who long cultivated a clownish and villainous persona, leveraged his significant social media presence following the fire to refashion himself as an earnest mix of citizen watchdog and populist firebrand.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
Switcheroo is all snappy disco, clownish house, and musical sight gags.
—Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 30 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
Pratt, who long cultivated a clownish and villainous persona, leveraged his significant social media presence following the fire to refashion himself as an earnest mix of citizen watchdog and populist firebrand.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
Switcheroo is all snappy disco, clownish house, and musical sight gags.
—Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clownish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clownish
Adjective
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Despite concerns about his boorish behavior, questionable business dealings and unsavory friends, Andrew spent 10 years as Britain’s special envoy for international trade and remained a prince of the realm until the details of his relationship with Epstein were revealed last year.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
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Entitled also makes a compelling case that Andrew is—to put it delicately—boorish and dim.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Nothing gets Trump angrier than when one of his underlings is caught doing something stupid on videotape.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
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But to those going to an upcoming show, for the love of God please shut up when Raye is sharing this story; a quiet room isn’t a license to yell stupid nonsense.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Those songs both ended with squalls of noise, hinting at Bash’s interest in more uncouth arrangements.—
Stephen Kearse,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
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Trump's uncouth behavior barely rates a headline anymore, so frequent are the examples.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
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The four leads are overconfident and loutish, spending their time drinking, rambling, and clumsily working through their worries about the future.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Some of the reaction to his death was also classless.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
21 Mar. 2026
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Communism, in its traditional definition, describes a system in which private property is abolished and the means of production are collectively owned, with the goal of creating a classless society.—
Cameron Schoppa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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But this churlish little spurt from his players?—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
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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.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The word was considered so vulgar that it was left out of early dictionaries and was rarely printed, though Adams says people were certainly using it.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2026
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One day, Dahlstrom made a vulgar joke in a lunchroom referencing oral sex and pubic hair, according to the employee.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clownish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clownish. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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