Buffoonery Meaning
/bəˈfuːnəɹi/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounThe behaviour expected of a buffoon; foolishness, silliness.
nounThe behavior of a buffoon; foolishness, silliness.
Sentence Examples
The clown's act was full of buffoonery.
Buffoonery is not always funny.
The classroom was disrupted by the constant buffoonery of the student.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The audience laughed at the clown's ____ during the circus performance.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Everyone was tired of his constant ____ during the serious meeting.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English buffoon Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzijos Latin -āriusnom. Latin -ārius Old French -ier Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Old French -ie Old French -eriebor. Middle English -erie English -ery English buffoonery From buffoon + -ery.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Araminta, come I'll talk ſeriouſly to you now, could you but ſee vvith my Eyes the buffoonry of one Scene of Addreſs, a Lover, ſet out with all his Equipage and Appurtenances; […]"
— 1693, Will[iam] Congreve, The Old Batchelour, a Comedy. […], London: […] Peter Buck, […], →OCLC, Act II, scene [ii], page 14:
"[W]e ſet him [the Devil] up like a Scare-Crovv to fright Children and old VVomen, to fill up old Stories, make Songs and Ballads, and in a VVord, carry on the lovv priz'd Buffoonry of the common People; […]"
— 1726, [Daniel Defoe], “Of the Manner of Satan’s Acting and Carrying on His Affairs in This World, and Particularly of His Ordinary Workings in the Dark, by Possession and Agitation”, in The Political History of the Devil, as well Ancient as Modern: […], London: […] T. Warner, […], →OCLC, part II (Of the Modern History of the Devil), page 222:
"[…] One could not expect any body to take such a part—Nothing but buffoonery from beginning to end."
— 1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter XIV, in Mansfield Park: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 273:
"Preamble is a hard-boiled steel commuter built for comfort, durability, and buffoonery on pavement and gravel."
— 2025, “Pavement Bikes”, in Surly Bikes, retrieved 21 Feb 2025:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The audience laughed at the clown's ____ during the circus performance.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Everyone was tired of his constant ____ during the serious meeting.