1
Core meaning
A ridiculous person who amuses others through clowning, foolish behaviour, or crude jokes.
Example
The actor plays a boastful buffoon.
buffoon
/bəˈfuːn/ · buh-FOONnoun
A ridiculous person who amuses others through clowning, foolish behaviour, or crude jokes.
Use buffoon to express this relationship precisely: a ridiculous person who amuses others through clowning, foolish behaviour, or crude jokes.
What buffoon Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Common noun frame
Use this noun in a complete noun phrase, adding the complement that identifies what it refers to when needed.
Example
He acted like a buffoon to distract the guards.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact concept matters; a related term may describe its cause, evidence, or opposite instead.
Example
The satire portrays the minister as a dangerous buffoon.
Use buffoon Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The actor plays a boastful buffoon.
He acted like a buffoon to distract the guards.
The satire portrays the minister as a dangerous buffoon.
Precision Matters
Buffoon overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
buffoon
vs.Means a ridiculous person who amuses others through clowning, foolish behaviour, or crude jokes.
bard
Means a poet, especially one who composes or recites verse celebrating heroic or historical events.
buffoon
vs.Means a ridiculous person who amuses others through clowning, foolish behaviour, or crude jokes.
courtier
Means a member or attendant of a royal court, sometimes one who seeks favour through flattery.
buffoon
vs.Means a ridiculous person who amuses others through clowning, foolish behaviour, or crude jokes.
autocrat
Means a ruler who holds and exercises absolute, unrestricted political power.
buffoon
vs.Means a ridiculous person who amuses others through clowning, foolish behaviour, or crude jokes.
boor
Means a rude, insensitive, clumsy, or socially ill-mannered person.
Test buffoon in Context
The person amuses others through clownish, ridiculous behaviour.
1
By slipping deliberately and making exaggerated faces, the performer played the ___.