Buffoon Meaning
/bəˈfuːn/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounOne who performs in a silly or ridiculous fashion; a clown or fool.
nounAn unintentionally ridiculous person.
Sentence Examples
Tom is what my father would call a buffoon.
Zelensky may well be a buffoon, but he is hardly fascist.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
His silly antics made him look like a complete ____ at the formal dinner.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He acted like a ____ to make all the children laugh at the party city.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French bouffon, from Italian buffone (“jester”), from buffare (“to puff out the cheeks”), of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Middle High German buffen ("to puff"; > German büffen), Old English pyffan (“to breathe out, blow with the mouth”). More at English puff.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"To divert the audience with buffoon postures and antic dances."
— 1810, W. Melmoth, transl., Letters of Pliny:
"His mimicry of gay speech and facial expressions is analogous to an Amos 'n' Andy routine, in which white men buffooned their way through incredibly demeaning impersonations of black men."
— 1988 January 22, Henry Sheehan, “Little Boy Blue”, in Chicago Reader:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
His silly antics made him look like a complete ____ at the formal dinner.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He acted like a ____ to make all the children laugh at the party city.